Discovering how to unboil an egg has resulted in more than the perfect breakfast for one Australian academic.
Professor Colin Raston from Flinders University has developed a machine called the ‘Vortex Fluidic Device’ which can unravel the proteins in a hardboiled egg so it can be returned to its original state.
Unlike most other food which turns soft when boiled, the egg is unusual in that it hardens when heated.
The device does however have more important abilities than just unboiling eggs. Professor Raston has reported it has the potential to help with cancer treatment, pharmaceutical manufacturing and food processing.
“It’s not what we set out to do, to unboil an egg, but it’s the way of explaining the science involved and helping the wider world realise the momentousness of it,” Professor Raston said on the Flinders University website.
“The sheer scale of this is mind boggling. The global pharmaceutical industry alone is worth $160 billion annually and the processing of proteins is central to it. The VFD is completely changing it – and is set to do the same for the fuel and food industries. It’s impossible to place a price on the value of this device.”
The Professor last week graciously accepted the Ig Nobel prize awarded to him at Harvard University for his discovery.
