Food Dye Used In Doritos May Help See Through Your Skin: Study

In a latest study, scientists at the Stanford University found that the food colour used in a packet of Doritos may make your skin see-through. The researchers experimented on mouse skin and published the findings in the journal Science. As per multiple reports, this experiment was conducted to find better ways to see tissues and organs in the human body, without the need for invasion.

Zihao Ou, currently a professor at the University Of Texas in Dallas and the lead author of the study, shared, “For those who understand the fundamental physics behind this, it makes sense; but if you aren’t familiar with it, it looks like a magic trick,” as per the University website.

What Is The Link Between Doritos And Skin Transparency?

According to a report in USA Today, the researchers applied a mixture of water and tartrazine to the skin of live mice, which eventually turned transparent. Tartrazine is a common bright yellow-orange food colour, used in Doritos and various other packaged foods, drugs, and cosmetic products. For the unversed, this food dye has the characteristics of absorbing blue and ultraviolet lights that make it easier for light to pass through the skin.

A report in the Guardian states that the researchers smeared the yellow dye on a mouse’s underbelly, making the abdominal skin see-through and revealing its intestines and organs. In another experiment, they applied dye on the mouse’s shaved head and, with a technique called laser speckle contrast imaging, saw blood vessels in its brain.

The Bottom Line:

A report in Fox News Digital said that while the study has only been conducted on animals, it can have a positive effect on human skin, but for a short period. This could offer a range of benefits in health diagnosis and biology experiments. The researchers also believe that this can be “the first non-invasive approach” to achieving visibility of a living being’s internal organs.

About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.