IIT Guwahati Develops Edible Coating To Extend Shelf-Life Of Fruits And Vegetables

04:49 PM Aug 29, 2022 | G Plus News

 

GUWAHATI: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati researchers led by Prof Vimal Katiyar, Department of Chemical Engineering and Center for Excellence in Sustainable Polymers, have developed an edible coating to extend the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables. 

The coating material, which supposedly prevent wastage, was tested on vegetables such as potato, tomato, green chili and strawberries, Khasi Mandarin, Apples, pineapples, Kiwifruits and were found to keep these vegetables fresh for nearly two months.

The researchers believe that their development could help the country meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 12.3 that is aimed at reducing food losses along the production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.

Highlighting the need for such research, Prof Vimal Katiyar, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, and CuSPol, IIT Guwahati, said, “According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, between 4.6 and 15.9% of fruits and vegetables go waste post-harvest, partly due to poor storage conditions.  In fact, post-harvest loss in certain produce items like potato, onion and tomato which could be as high as 19%, which results in high prices for this highly consumed commodity.”

The researchers tested the coatings on a range of vegetables, including potato, tomato, green chilies, Khasi Mandarin, Apples and strawberries (both sliced and whole). The coatings can also be directly coated on the vegetable, or made into a vegetable storage pouch, and in both cases, the shelf-life of the vegetables can be extended. It is a simple and elegant dip coating technique with no significant cost added to the post-harvest processing.