NEW YORK, May 30 — For many, it’s an invention that’s been long overdue: a bottle that pours out the final traces of ketchup with nary a shake, effort or expletive made. It just took a team of MIT scientists to figure it out.

Since being uploaded May 23, a video showing the last streams of ketchup sliding effortlessly out of a bottle that has a specially designed coating has gone viral, with nearly 118,300 hits as of May 29.

The LiquiGlide technology has proven to be particularly popular among viewers in a “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that” kind of way, with comments hailing the new bottle as a “miracle,” and a most useful application of science.

Developed by a team of MIT engineers at the Varanasi Research Group, the nontoxic coating is made from food materials and is being touted as a partial solution for everything from excess food waste to environmental pollution.

By their own calculations, one million pounds of food are thrown out a year worldwide. Squeezing — or rather sliding out — the final bits of ketchup or mayonnaise would help alleviate food waste, the researchers say.

Furthermore, the scientists also claim that eliminating squeeze bottles could save 25,000 tons of petroleum-based plastics a year in caps alone.

Meanwhile, according to ketchup maker Heinz, the best way to release the condiment faster is to apply a firm tap to the neck of the bottle. — AFP-Relaxnews