Saliva is more than spit. It helps with chewing and swallowing, protects teeth and gums, and even has antimicrobial and digestive properties. However, certain conditions or medical treatments, such as hemodialysis, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, reduce natural saliva production. Now, researchers publishing in ACS Applied Polymer Materials have created a reusable hydrogel that releases artificial saliva over time, which could help provide sustained relief from dry mouth.

Dried fruit is a tasty snack or sweet addition to recipes, but the water removal process often requires heat and energy. In a step toward more sustainable food preservation, researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology have developed a method to dry food at room temperature by adjusting air pressure conditions and using food-safe calcium chloride. In a proof-of-concept, the system successfully dried mango and apple slices to commercial levels.

Not all poisonous gases have a smell or a color. But a tiny grid of pastel- and candy-colored squares that effectively “sniffs” out hazardous chemicals in the air such as chlorosarin — a highly toxic nerve agent — could help detect them. Researchers report in ACS Sensors that the colorful patterns in their inexpensive and durable paper-based sensor array changed in the presence of poisonous gases, allowing for quick and accurate measurements within minutes.