Drinking a smoothie is a popular way to consume fruits and vegetables, many of which are rich in micronutrients called polyphenols. If this beverage is purchased at a store, it’s likely been pasteurized with heat or pressure to prevent harmful bacteria growth and extend shelf-life. Now, a preliminary study in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that processing smoothies with high heat could also make polyphenols easier for the gut microbiome to absorb.

Breathalyzers are a frequently used tool to measure the amount of ethanol in someone’s breath, which relates to their blood alcohol content. However, alcoholic beverages contaminated by methanol (sometimes called wood alcohol) are hard to identify and toxic if ingested. Researchers reporting in ACS Sensors have developed a prototype sensor that quickly and easily detects small amounts of methanol in breath — a step toward developing a “methanol breathalyzer” to efficiently diagnose poisonings.

To treat bacterial infections, medical professionals prescribe antibiotics. But not all active medicine gets used up by the body. Some of it ends up in wastewater, where antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can develop. Now, to make a more efficient antibiotic treatment, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science modified penicillin, so that it’s activated only by green light. In early tests, the approach precisely controlled bacterial growth and improved survival outcomes for infected insects.

When visiting the dentist, you might remember being poked and prodded by a thin metal instrument to check your teeth and gums. This technique, called periodontal probing, is used to look for signs of gum disease. Now, researchers publishing in ACS Sensors report a toothbrush-shaped ultrasound transducer that can provide a less invasive screening for gum disease. In proof-of-concept demonstrations on animal tissues, the device produced measurements similar to those of a manual probe.