Want a stronger biodegradable plastic? Add a 'pinch' of cream of tartar

Cooking a delicious risotto and making plastics are actually very similar processes. In both, ingredients come together and are heated to create a product, but current recipes for synthesizing bioplastics often fall flat, producing flimsy materials. So, taking a hint from chefs, researchers now report in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering a way to "season" biodegradable plastics to make them stronger. It just takes a "pinch" of cream of tartar (tartaric acid) or citric acid.