S. Vishnu Sharma
Research at IIT Madras has led to the development of sustainable antimicrobial wrapping material that has lot of advantage.
The wrapping material brought out by Research at IIT Madras can help handle two major problems, namely, ‘prevention of food contamination by bacteria’ and ‘reducing the plastic waste generated in the environment while disposing the wrappers.’
Research at IIT Madras brings out anti-bacterial food wrapper
This biodegradable food wrapper has an in-built anti-bacterial compound and is safe for consumption.
The team which took up the Research at IIT Madras was recently awarded the ‘SITARE- Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Appreciation 2020’ for their project.
The Researchers have also filed for an Indian patent. The team which took up this Research at IIT Madras was led by Professor Mukesh Doble, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras and Ms. Puja Kumari, Research scholar, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.
Around 300 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced every year.
According to waste management experts, only 9 per cent of all plastic waste gets recycled and about 12 per cent has been incinerated.
Further, an estimated 600 million, almost 1 in 10 people in the world fall ill after eating contaminated food and 4,20,000 die every year.
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Speaking about this Research at IIT Madras, Professor Mukesh Doble said their idea is to design a food wrap that will address two major issues, namely solid waste and food contamination during storage due to bacterial growth.
‘We have developed a biodegradable wrapping material with in-built antibacterial activity to prevent bacterial growth in stored food.’
The antibacterial compound should be safe for consumption as it is approved by the authorities and does not cause any toxicity, he said.
Professor Mukesh who led the team that took up this Research at IIT Madras further said the wrapping material they have developed also degrades at various environmental conditions with the rate of degradation varying from 4 to 98 per cent in 21 days.
‘The wrapping material degraded rapidly in moist conditions when compared to dry ones.’
Hence, their wrapper is eco-friendly and can play a major role in plastic waste reduction, he said.
The films developed by team that took up this Research at IIT Madras were made with Polymeric blends containing starch, polyvinyl alcohol, cyclic beta glycans (CBG).
The composition was optimised to achieve the best film with a smooth texture, flexibility, uniform thickness and good clarity.
The polymers used are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The antibacterial agent selected is also approved by the food authority for consumption and includes eugenol, chlorogenic acid, betanin, curcumin and gallic acid, among others.
These compounds are used regularly in Indian food and are known to possess antibacterial, antioxidant and many other beneficial bioactivities.
The compound is either immobilised on the surface or coated or mixed with polymer before preparation.
Speaking about the studies undertaken by team who conducted this Research at IIT Madras Ms. Puja Kumari said their antibacterial coated polymer wrapper was used for wrapping panner, meat and chicken and its performance was tested.
Samples were placed in 4oC and 30oC for 10 days and tested for the effect of the coating on reducing the bacterial growth with respect to the uncoated wrapper, she said.
Puja Kumari who was part of the team that took up this Research at IIT Madras further said Our study found that 99.999 per cent reduction in the bacterial colonies was observed in food samples wrapped with our antibacterial wrap and stored at 30oC for 10 days when compared with a plain wrapper.
‘This study also suggests that our antimicrobial wrapper can, to some extent overcome, the reduced availability of cold storage units.’
Paneer is known to have a very low shelf life (less than 7 days) and hence extending its shelf life is a major advantage, she said.
Generally, bacterial growth is higher when stored at 30oC when compared to storage at 4oC.
There is a shortage of cold storage units in India which leads to food spoilage and wastage.
Hence, if the wrapper can protect the food from bacterial contamination at normal room temperature, then it is an added advantage, say the team that took up Research at IIT Madras.
Speaking about the current status of the Research at IIT Madras Professor Mukesh Doble said currently, they are looking for funds to scale up the process and test their product with more food samples.
‘We also need to compare the mechanical properties as well as the cost of the developed films with commercial products in the market.’
The team doing the Research at IIT Madras also found that the wrapping material degraded at various environmental conditions with rate of degradation varying from 4 to 98 per cent in 21 days.
The material degraded rapidly in moist condition when compared to dry ones.