WayCool Foods, IIT-H to develop biopolymer based antimicrobial food packaging material

The aim is to develop economically viable and biodegradable packaging that will retain the freshness of fruits and vegetables longer, leading to a reduction in food wastage across the supply chain by upto 20%

Chennai based startup WayCool Foods has signed a 3-year MoU with IIT Hyderabad (IIT-H) to develop antimicrobial food packaging material by using biopolymers. The MoU was signed and exchanged between Karthik Jayaraman, CEO, WayCool Foods and Sumohana Channappayya, Dean (R&D), IIT-H in Hyderabad.

The aim is to develop economically viable and biodegradable packaging that will retain the freshness of fruits and vegetables longer, leading to a reduction in food wastage across the supply chain by up to 20 per cent. This packing material will enhance the shelf life of mainstream fruits and vegetables such as okra, capsicum, Indian gooseberry, and guava as well as exotic produce such as strawberry and broccoli. WayCool will invest close to INR 2 million over a period of 3 years of this association.

On the occasion of the MoU signing, Vignesh Kumar Manogaran, EVP, WayCool Foods, said, “From inception, WayCool Foods has been actively working towards reducing food wastage on multiple fronts. The association with IIT Hyderabad to co-develop a sustainable alternate packaging solution further supplements our in-house R&D and Innovation efforts. The collaboration will help us work closely with the bright minds of India’s premier institutions and strengthen industry-academia linkage.”

WayCool distributes its wide range of fresh produce and staples in brands such as Shuddha, Dhaanyaa, KitchenJi, L’exotique, Madhuram, and Freshey’s, to nearly 20,000 retail outlets, as well as institutional clients. The innovative packaging, when developed, is intended to be starkly different from conventional packaging and will help consumers enjoy fresh produce longer.

During the MoU signing, Dr. Mudrika Khandelwal, The Cellulose Group (Head), IIT Hyderabad said, “Biopolymer is an environment friendly food packaging material. We are happy to collaborate with WayCool Foods to develop this unique solution to enhance product shelf-life whilst also reducing the overall carbon footprint related to food packaging. It is important to devise ways to create uncompromised innovations that meet our sustainability goals while providing customer-focused solutions.”