The reporting and interviews for this story have been carried out in April 2025.

Think about, for a second, a world whereby the very essence of what we discard — agricultural byproducts and pure polymers — types the answer to one among our most urgent environmental crises: plastic waste.

This isn’t a distant dream however an rising actuality, due to the diligent efforts of researchers across the globe. On the forefront of this innovation is a crew from the Nationwide Institute of Know-how (NIT) Rourkela, peeling the layers of risk hidden inside the shells and seeds of on a regular basis fruits.

Underneath the management of affiliate professor Dr Preetam Sarkar, the Division of Meals Course of Engineering is giving new life to the supplies which have lengthy been sidelined as waste.

With a contact of human ingenuity, agricultural waste has been reworked into biodegradable movies that maintain the promise of revolutionising meals packaging. The seeds of jackfruit, jamun, and litchi are moving into the limelight.

The innovation was a collective effort of Dr Santhosh Ravichandran, Rahul Thakur, Bindhu Sravanthi, and Souvik Giri below the steerage of Dr Preetam. What treasures lie inside these humble kernels? We sat down with Dr Preetam and one of many college students, Dr Santhosh Ravichandran, whose efforts led to this innovation.

Unveiling the potential of seeds

The ubiquity of plastics within the international meals business is simple. Artificial plastics equivalent to low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polystyrene (PS) are extensively used attributable to their sturdiness and adaptability. Nonetheless, their environmental value is staggering.

“These petroleum-derived supplies contribute considerably to air pollution, with decomposition durations extending as much as 700 years. As plastics degrade, they fragment into microplastics and nanoplastics, infiltrating ecosystems and elevating extreme well being considerations, together with most cancers and reproductive points,” Dr Preetam tells The Higher India.

In response to those challenges, Dr Preetam’s crew selected an unconventional path: valorising agricultural waste. “The important thing supplies chosen are starches obtained from the seeds of jackfruit, jamun (Indian blueberry), and litchi, coupled with tamarind kernel polysaccharides (complicated carbohydrates),” he shares.

These underutilised byproducts harbour promising potential for creating eco-friendly packaging. Explaining additional, he provides, “Jackfruit seeds, usually forged apart after a hearty feast, are plentiful in starch — a pure polymer that, when processed, types a sturdy base for biodegradable movies. Equally, jamun seeds deliver their very own distinctive properties to the fore. Litchi seeds, though petite, pack a starch-filled punch, contributing to the power and adaptability of the ensuing packaging.”

“Whereas tamarind kernel polysaccharides supply wonderful mechanical power and barrier properties,” he provides.

The science doesn’t cease right here. To reinforce the protecting qualities of those movies, Dr Preetam’s crew integrates one other layer of fascinating components — nanoparticles – suppose zinc oxide, chitosan, and lignin nanoparticles.

“Zinc oxide nanoparticles are identified for antimicrobial exercise; they contribute to meals security, whereas chitosan nanoparticles add antimicrobial properties and lignin nanoparticles add antioxidant exercise and improve the movie’s organic efficacy,” he explains.

Every introduces a layer of magic, or extra exactly, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. These nanomaterials are important in creating boundaries robust sufficient to safeguard perishables in opposition to dangerous microbes like Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli that will trigger foodborne ailments. 

Biodegradable movies that reach shelf life

Dr Preetam shares that the applying technique for these movies entails an modern dipping approach, which types a protecting emulsion coating on the fruit. In trials, the crew has proven important shelf-life extension — as an illustration, tomatoes sealed with the biodegradable movie lasted 15 days longer than with out.

Think about tomatoes, bananas, and sapotas snugly wrapped in these modern movies, their lifespan prolonged by days and even weeks.

Talking with The Higher India, Santhosh says, “I’ve devoted nearly a yr to growing movies from complete seed powders of jackfruit, jamun, and litchi. However initially, I did not succeed. Nonetheless, I used to be satisfied of the seeds’ potential as robust pure supplies appropriate for composites. This led me to analyse their composition and isolate the first compounds contributing to their hardness.”

“Upon extracting and casting these compounds, I produced versatile movies. To additional improve their properties, I integrated pure nanofillers derived from byproducts. This considerably improved the movies, which carried out excellently as coatings for tomatoes, sapota, and bananas,” he tells The Higher India.

Apparently, these eco-friendly movies additionally decompose inside 60 days.

“We do biodegradability research in small cups. Throughout this research, I discovered a small plant that began rising in these cups. As soon as the movies degrade, they turn into vitamins for the soil microbes and crops. That’s precisely the round financial system we wished to deliver,” says Santhosh.

However how sturdy can such pure supplies be? “That is the place human curiosity meets materials science, because the movies exhibit mechanical power comparable to traditional plastics like LDPE or polypropylene,” says Dr Preetam.

“As customers, we turn into stakeholders on this motion, supporting improvements that promise a much less polluted, extra balanced world,” he provides.

The transition from plastic to those biodegradable options isn’t merely an industrial shift, it’s a cultural one — one which aligns with our rising consciousness of environmental stewardship. Every movie, meticulously engineered but impressed by nature, questions the paradigms of consumerism: What if waste weren’t the tip however a brand new starting?

So, as you ponder the fruits you maintain in your hand and the packaging that encases them, let curiosity lead you. What if every seed, every shell, harbours the key to a cleaner planet? What if the subsequent stride in sustainable innovation lies, fairly actually, within the palm of our arms?

All photographs courtesy Dr Preetam Sarkar and Dr Santhosh Ravichandran