IIT Madras Creates Eco-Friendly Biodegradable Food Wrapper

IIT Madras researchers have created biodegradable food wrapping material which is sustainable, anti-bacterial as well as eco-friendly in nature in order to prevent food contamination. The team was led by Mr Mukesh Doble and Puja Kumari and has further filed for a patent as well. The Biodegradable Food Wrapper invented by IIT Madras researchers is an effective solution to tackle the problem of food contamination due to bacterial growth.

One of the leading IIT Madras researcher, Prof. Mukesh Doble who is a part of the Department of Biotechnology, stated that this biodegradable food wrapping material can prevent bacterial growth in stored food due to its antibacterial activity. The wrapping paper is created with such material that it is even consumable. The compound has been approved by the concerned authorities regarding the safety concerns for its consumption. Everything used to prepare this compound has been approved by the concerned authorities first, even the polymers used were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The antibacterial agent is made of betanin, curcumin, gallic acid and many other such materials. The research team at IIT Madras also said that they immobilized the compound before formulation.

Must Read: Latest IIT Courses

The biodegradable food wrapping paper created by IIT Madras researchers is comparatively more eco-friendly as it not only degrades under different environmental conditions and rapidly in moist conditions than the dry ones, thus playing a significant role in plastic waste reduction. Their statements are not just based on any assumptions but the material was actually tested on different types of food items before getting approved. The samples were said to be placed under different temperatures for 10 days in order to test the effect of coating in reducing the bacterial growth. Prof. Puja Kumari said that they observed 99.999 % reduction of bacterial colonies in food samples wrapped with their paper and stored under 30 degree Celsius for 10 days compared to the normal paper.

Also Read: This Latest Invention by IIT Ropar is Ensuring the Safety of IPL Players from Covid-19

The institute’s biodegradable food wrapper is a great invention as it can play a pivotal role in protecting food from contamination thus ensuring its purity and healthiness. Keep watching this space for more such educational news updates and interesting inventions all around the globe and don’t forget to check out our amazing  Leverage Edu blogs on emerging careers, courses and more!