IIT Madras has developed a sustainable antimicrobial wrapping material that can tackle two major problems - prevent packaged food contamination by bacteria as well as reduce the plastic waste generated in the environment when disposing the wrappers. This biodegradable food wrapper has an in-built anti-bacterial compound and is safe for consumption.

 

The IIT Madras team 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 research was led by Prof. Mukesh Doble, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras, and Puja Kumari, Research scholar, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.

 

Around 300 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced every year. According to waste management experts, only 9 percent of all plastic waste gets recycled and about 12 per cent has been incinerated.

 

The films developed by IIT Madras researchers 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).