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The research marks the first-time use of Kodo millet starch in intelligent food packaging applications
A research team from the National Institute of Technology Rourkela, led by Prof. Preetam Sarkar, Associate Professor, Department of Food Process Engineering, have developed an intelligent food packaging film using natural and biodegradable materials. 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 color 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.
The findings of this research have been published in the journal Food Packaging and Shelf Life in a paper co-authored by Prof. Preetam Sarkar (as the lead corresponding author), along with his research scholars, Rahul Thakur, Harshi Singhi, Vedsagar Rajesh Suryavanshi, and Dr. Ravichandran Santhosh. Other co-authors in this work include Dr. Khalid Gul from NIT Rourkela, Dr. Swarup Roy from Lovely Professional University, Dr. Srinivas Janaswamy from South Dakota State University, Brookings, USA and Dr. Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad from IIT Roorkee.