This super-white coating was inspired by a beetle’s scales

For decades, titanium dioxide has been used to make products bright white, from paint to powdered donuts. It’s effective, cheap, and hard to replace. But after the European Union (EU) banned it as a food additive in 2022 over potential health risks, companies have been searching for better alternatives. One new colorant uses an unlikely design. Seprify, a Switzerland-based startup, took inspiration from a beetle that appears bright white because of the microscopic structure of the scales on its…