IIT Kharagpur researchers develop eco-friendly food packaging material with cucumber peels
The Times of India (November 17, 2020)
NEW DELHI: Are you discarding cucumber peels after preparing your salad? They may soon find their way back to your kitchen in the form of eco-friendly food packaging developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur. According to the team of researchers, cucumber peels have greater cellulose content than other peel waste. Cellulose nanocrystals derived from these peels can be used for making food packaging material which is biodegradable and has low oxygen permeability.
"While single-use plastic is consciously being avoided by consumers, they still remain largely in circulation as food packaging items. Natural biopolymers are unable to make their way in this industry as they lack strength, elongation, barrier property, optical property, and in some cases even biological safety," said Jayeeta Mitra, Assistant Professor, IIT Kharagpur. (Read More)