A study discovered fluorescent carbon nanodots inside Coca-Cola and Pepsi that cross the blood-brain barrier.
The findings emerged after the Gates Foundation began investing in both PepsiCo and the world’s LARGEST Coca-Cola bottler — a stake now valued at $660 MILLION.
The nanoparticles are about 5 nanometers wide, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with GRAPHITIC structural features.
When administered to mice, the carbon nanodots invaded multiple organs, including the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs.
Similar carbon nanodots are being engineered for medical imaging, drug delivery, and cancer therapy.
One possible explanation is that they formed during high-temperature processing of sugars and caramel coloring.
Alternatively, carbon dots can be deliberately manufactured through chemical synthesis, using controlled heating, carbon precursors, and surface modifications to produce nanoparticles with specific properties.
The researchers could NOT establish the particles’ exact origin.
[Via: @NicHulscher / https://doi.org/10.1080/17435390.2017.1418443]