IIT Kharagpur: Researchers Create Ecological Food Packaging With Peels of Cucumber

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A team of researchers at IIT Kharagpur has successfully created a method to turn cucumber peels into food packaging material. This comes at a time when the emphasis on environmental problems is increasing.

According to the team of researchers at IIT Kharagpur, the daily kitchen waste can now be used to reduce our carbon footprint on the Earth. With food packaging being developed out of complete waste, the load on municipalities will also decrease.

This was possible only due to the inherent properties of cucumber. Cucumber peels have greater cellulose content when compared to other waste and the material derived out of the peels can be used to create packaging material. Not only this material has low oxygen permeability but it is biodegradable as well.

This ensures that it would not turn into a headache when it will be the time to dispose of it. According to Jayeeta Mitra, while this is quite a revolutionary discovery, degradable bio-polymers still have a long way to go.

Since most biopolymers lack the strength, elongation, and durability of plastic bags, their incorporation is slow. And while many consumers have become conscious regarding the use of disposable plastic bags, they still remain the most convenient option for consumers as well as sellers.

Mitra says that since cucumber finds many uses in pickles, salads, and beverages, the volume of the waste is quite large. Commenting on the research finding, she further clarified that studies showed that the cellulose nanocrystals made from cucumber peels had modifiable properties which lead to better results in terms of biocompatibility and degradability.

The nanocrystals derived from the peels could emerge as a strong contender in the near future because of their properties like the high surface area to volume ratio, lightweight, and great mechanical properties. The study also provided better insights into the nature and properties of cucumber cellulose.

Sai Prasanna, a research scholar at the institute believes that because of their non-toxic and biodegradable nature, this product has huge market potential. The only barriers that exist are the management of waste and production efficiency.

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