May 20, 2022 - Technology

Students create an edible tape to hold that messy burrito together

Kelly Tyko

Burrito with edible tape — Tastee Tape is a clear, edible tape that keeps wraps closed when eating but to better illustrate its use, the tape on the right had blue dye. Photo: Will Kirk/Johns Hopkins University

If you’re sick of making a mess every time you eat or make burritos, a group of Johns Hopkins University undergraduate students has come up with a fix: edible tape.

Driving the news: The Maryland students created a design for "Tastee Tape" and presented it as part of the engineering school's Design Day. According to the university, the team of students created the “edible adhesive comprising a food-grade fibrous scaffold and an organic adhesive” to keep the ingredients inside the wrap during cooking and consumption.

What they’re saying: Student Erin Walsh told NBC Washington that burritos and wraps are one of her favorite foods and she came up for the idea for the tape in a product design course.

“I’m a student-athlete, so I’m not looking to make a skimpy burrito,” Walsh said. “I’m really trying to fill it with substance, and so I would tend to get frustrated when I would be trying to wrap it and the contents would be getting everywhere.”
"Tastee Tape allows you to put full faith in your tortilla, and enjoy your meal, mess-free," Tyler Guarino, another student on the project, said in a university article.

The tape is clear but dyed blue for photos, and it's strong enough to hold even the biggest burrito together.

What's next: The students say they are applying for a patent and declined to disclose their formula. Other students on the team include Marie Eric and Rachel Nie.

"What I can say is that all its ingredients are safe to consume, are food grade, and are common food and dietary additives," Guarino said.

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Students create an edible tape to hold that messy burrito together

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