World’s thinnest spaghetti shows therapeutic promise

According to UCL, nanofibres made of starch could be used in bandages to aid wound healing, as scaffolding for bone regeneration, and for drug delivery. However, they rely on starch being extracted from plant cells and purified, a process requiring much energy and water.

The researchers said a more environmentally friendly method is to create nanofibres directly from a starch-rich ingredient like flour, which is the basis for pasta.

In a new paper in Nanoscale Advances, the team describe making spaghetti 372nm across using electrospinning, a method in which threads of flour and liquid are pulled through the tip of a needle by an electric charge. The work was performed by Beatrice Britton, who carried out the study as part of her master’s degree in chemistry at UCL.

In a statement, co-author Dr Adam Clancy, UCL Chemistry, said: “To make spaghetti, you push a mixture of water and flour through metal holes. In our study, we did the same except we pulled our flour mixture through with an electrical charge. It’s literally spaghetti but much smaller.”