SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Consumers may soon be able to go for longer between milk-buying trips. That's because Brazilian company Agrindus hopes to start marketing plastic milk bottles that use embedded silver nanoparticles to kill bacteria. Grade A pasteurized fresh whole milk packaged in those bottles can reportedly last for up to 15 days, as opposed to the usual seven.
The technology was developed by partner company Nanox, and involves first coating silica ceramic particles with silver nanoparticles. This reportedly has a synergistic effect, with the silica boosting the antimicrobial properties of the silver.
Those coated particles take the form of a powder that is subsequently mixed into liquid polyethylene. Using blow- or injection-molding, that plastic is then made into bottles which Agrindus plans to sell to dairy goods companies. The particles can also be used to make milk bags, which should extend shelf life from four to 10 days.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by albert on Thursday August 06 2015, @07:47AM
I don't want to get https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria [wikipedia.org] from my milk.
At my house, 4 gallons disappear in about 2 days. It doesn't get a chance to rot. People drink it.
In theory, sour milk has uses. Add baking soda, sugar, flour, water, cinnamon, ginger... you get gingerbread cookies. Of course milk can't go bad (see above) normally, so the point is moot.
Well maybe a lengthy power outage right after a shopping trip would do the job. I guess maybe you could have a jug roll under the car seat and get forgotten, or maybe your refrigerator could die... but how often does that happen? Pretty much, milk can't actually go bad.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DeathMonkey on Thursday August 06 2015, @08:31AM
Technically, silver is a heavy metal. It's supposedly harmless but the fact that it kills bacteria does make one wonder...
To be fair to heavy metals, though, many are regulated due to effects on sensitive wildlife (e.g. zinc kills fish eggs, etc) and not for known harmful effects to humans.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 06 2015, @09:19AM
um... I think in general it's a good idea to keep heavy metals away. At least, there were at least a couple of episodes of House MD where the patient was gonna die due to heavy metal poisoning (including the memorable one about the dude dying of gold poisoning).
also, see wiki link to argyria that people posted above.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 07 2015, @03:49AM
A fictional TV show should never be used to support your position on anything (except culture).
(Score: 2) by penguinoid on Thursday August 06 2015, @11:31AM
Almost all metals can accumulate and cause poisoning, and this includes metals like iron and copper that you need to live. Even more generally, anything that doesn't dissolve in water won't be passing through your kidneys.
RIP Slashdot. Killed by greedy bastards.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday August 06 2015, @05:06PM
That's not quite the case. Once the silver is in nanoparticle form, it will be able to travel everywhere in your body including crossing the blood-brain barrier and through your kidneys.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday August 06 2015, @06:42PM
The most common version of Heavy Metal Poisoning is probably Lead Poisoning which does have adverse effects on the human body. From Wikipedia "Chronic ingestion or inhalation of silver preparations (especially colloidal silver) can lead to argyria in the skin and other organs. This is not life-threatening, but is considered by most as cosmetically undesirable." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria/ [wikipedia.org] Interesting wikipedia article on "Colloidal Gold." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colloidal_gold/ [wikipedia.org] You really have to ingest a Lot of Silver / Gold to start to experience side effects. I also wouldn't start quoting the TV Series House on the subject . . .
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1) by Hyperturtle on Thursday August 06 2015, @02:36PM
You're fortunate you are able to consume it so quickly. I may have a gallon go bad before I am done with it. I only add milk to coffee, and sometimes for a bowl of cereal or when a recipe calls for it. I've never been much of a milk drinker simply because I need to consume it daily and I don't always have the taste for it. When I want it, it's gone bad or I don't have any. And yes I can buy a smaller container, but it seems I need something that is 3/4th a gallon as opposed to half or a full gallon... packaging costs more, to get a quart and a half gallon, so I end up wasting some of the full simply because it is more cost effective to be a horrible person in that way.
I used to mix it with protein powder, but found that unless I very quickly, and very thoroughly, cleaned out that glass I mixed the power with the milk in -- THAT goes bad. Yuck. Using water was far cleaner and easier to take care of if I did not have the time to actually scrub out the shaker or something. I guess that's a 1st world inconvenience if I am unable to appropriately clean a reusable container immediately after taking a swig of protein powder after excercising. Sometimes, there isn't time to do the right thing as far as dish maintenance is concerned, when you are at work and heading to a meeting.
(Score: 2) by hankwang on Thursday August 06 2015, @05:54PM
"Pretty much, milk can't actually go bad."
There was a time that I didn't drink much milk and that I took an unopened carton of pasteurized milk out of the fridge that was 'best before' next week. But the date was only day-month, without year. To this day I don't know whether it was 1 or 2 years old. :-)
Out of curiosity, I did open it. It looked mostly like yogurt with some transparent liquid layer on top. Never tasted it though.
Avantslash: SoylentNews for mobile [avantslash.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 06 2015, @07:11PM
That is the thing. If you dont drink milk do not buy extra.
Before I got married I would maybe drink a pint every other week. If that. I bought the smaller container to match my usage. Even then I usually tossed 1/4th of it due to spoilage. Usually along the lines of 'I dont remember buying milk recently'. Then the 'oh thats 2 months old'.
Even with something like this I would still buy the smaller container. It would still go bad.
Now we crack thru 2 gallons every few days. Usually if we get one 'go bad' it was because someone up the chain did something wrong. The store is usually very accommodating and just gives us another gallon.
In this area it would be easy to control the stock at the store. Just announce it is going to snow. Everyone will clean out the shelves.