NEW DELHI: Researchers from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela have developed an intelligent food packaging film using natural and biodegradable materials including Kodo millet starch and beetroot extract.
Designed to monitor the freshness of seafood in real time by responding to pH changes, the film offers a practical solution for improving food safety and reducing waste.
In a first-of-its-kind innovation, the research team has utilised Kodo millet starch to create a pH-sensitive intelligent film that can accurately monitor the freshness of all kinds of seafood.
This film detects the release of volatile amines, compounds typically associated with spoilage, and indicates food quality through visible colour changes.
The film is composed of starch extracted from Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum), gum tragacanth (a natural plant gum), and beetroot peel extract, which contains pH-sensitive pigments known as betalains.
These natural components make the film biodegradable, safe, and responsive, aligning with sustainability goals and offering a non-invasive way to assess seafood freshness.
“We first extracted starch from Kodo millet by soaking, grinding, filtering, and drying the grains. The beetroot peel extract was prepared separately and then combined with the starch, gum tragacanth, and a small amount of glycerol to cast the films. These were dried and tested for their pH sensitivity and effectiveness in monitoring seafood freshness, ” said Prof. Preetam Sarkar from NIT.
At the laboratory scale, the cost of producing the film was estimated at approximately Rs. 900 per kilogram.
When scaled up for industrial production, the cost is projected to range between Rs. 400 and Rs. 600 per kilogram, making it a potentially viable option for commercial use.
India is the world's second-largest fish-producing nation, contributing approximately 8 per cent of global fish production. It also holds the distinction of being the top five producer of shrimp globally, with frozen shrimp being the top export commodity.
Given the scale and importance of seafood production, intelligent packaging systems, which preserve food while monitoring its quality, are rapidly gaining global interest.
Unlike conventional packaging that serves merely as a protective barrier, the new packaging film offers visual cues about the product’s condition, making it a promising solution for enhancing food safety and reducing waste.