Coffee as a staining agent substitute in electron microscopy
Phys.org••science
Key Points:
- Researchers at Graz University of Technology have discovered that ordinary espresso can serve as an environmentally friendly alternative to the toxic and radioactive staining agent uranyl acetate used in electron microscopy.
- Espresso-stained biological samples produced images of comparable or even superior quality to those stained with uranyl acetate, enhancing contrast effectively.
- The idea originated from observing coffee stains on cups, inspiring the team to test espresso on ultra-thin tissue slices, particularly mitochondria, with promising results.
- While initial findings are encouraging, the researchers emphasize the need for further testing on various tissue types before espresso can be widely adopted in life science electron microscopy.
