The modern man has been faced with the problem of trapped ketchup ever since the bottle itself was invented. With so many patents being filed these days for sundry inventions that never end up on the table, this one is quite remarkable.

No more hitting the bottle, scrounging around with a spoon, spills or squirts, and thank god, no more finding that dreaded diluted ketchup in the fridge.

MIT professor Kripa Varanasi and his PhD students, who usually do research on coatings for oil pipelines or the insides of nuclear reactors, devised the coating comprised of a secret list of edible, nontoxic materials that can be sprayed into bottles or other food containers (wonder how the vegans will digest that), which has ‘the consistency of a solid, but the slipperiness of a liquid.’

After winning an award for it at MIT, the students posted videos of their invention on YouTube, showing ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard sliding out easily in seconds using the coating. The videos have since gone viral, bringing with them media attention, public discussion and business talks. They call their invention LiquiGlide and currently in talking with food companies to buy it.

The students estimate that more than $1.5 million worth of condiments are thrown away each year because people cannot scrape what’s left from jars and bottles. Eliminating the need for safety caps on squeeze bottles could save 25,000 tons of plastic a year. Varanasi also claims that the coating works for bottles of high-end cosmetics.

They hope to have their product on supermarket shelves in two years. It won’t be surprising to see it standardized as well.

Reach reporter Raunak Khosla here.