Sick of making a mess while eating a burrito? These college students were too.
A group of engineering students at Johns Hopkins University unveiled a groundbreaking and mouthwatering invention called Tastee Tape, an edible adhesive to keep all your favorite ingredients tucked inside burritos and wraps.
The enterprising students — Tyler Guarino, Marie Eric, Rachel Nie and Erin Walsh — spent the school year perfecting the edible adhesive strips as part of their senior design project.
Walsh came up with the idea at the beginning of the semester when she bit into her burrito and struggled to keep her meal intact, Guarino told Baltimore news station WBAL-TV 11.
“She was eating her burrito one day,” Guarino explained, “and it was just everywhere. And she was like, ‘You know what? This is a problem to be fixed.'”
Tastee Tape is made of “an edible adhesive comprising a food-grade fibrous scaffold,” the team said, but they’re keeping the details of their secret recipe under wraps as they apply for a patent.
“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.
The clear tape, which the students dyed blue for demonstrations, simply has to be separated from the wax paper and wet thoroughly before being stuck to the corn tortilla, flour wrap or gyro you’re preparing to eat.
The group of female chemical and biomolecular engineering students said they enjoyed their research by indulging in “too many burritos to count” while perfecting their product.
The product has generated a lot of buzz since it was unveiled several weeks ago as part of the Whiting School of Engineering’s Design Day.
“Design Day is an exciting landmark in our students’ journeys from studying engineering in the classroom and laboratory to becoming practicing engineers heading out to make a lasting and positive impact on our world,” dean Ed Schlesinger said in a statement.
“Tastee Tape allows you to put full faith in your tortilla and enjoy your meal, mess-free,” Guarino said.