Revealing blueberries’ nanostructure

By Nina Notman2024-03-22T11:00:00

A close up of blueberries one has been cut open to show the yellow flesh under the blue skin

Source: © Grafisphos/Shutterstock

Find out how microscopic, self-assembling particles give blueberries their characteristic blue hue

Use this story and the accompanying summary slide to help 14–16 learners understand nanoparticles using this real-world context. Ever wondered why blueberries are blue? Interestingly, it’s not because they’re packed with blue pigment. A recent scientific study reveals that the characteristic blue of these berries comes from a clever trick of light caused by minute structures on their waxy skin — microscopic surface structures that change how light is reflected.

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