You may not be able to tolerate chilli or horseradish in your everyday diet, but the hot stuff’s uses extend beyond the culinary realm as well. German researchers recently found that horseradish fibres are ideally suited as plastic reinforcements. And scientists in Mexico have been looking at ways to combine chilli with plastic. Those of us who like a little spice need not worry – the research focuses on using the discarded parts of each plant and will not deprive those who like their diet hot.

The good news is that the resulting plastics are not too hot to handle, and you don’t need a strong stomach for them either…