NIT Rourkela Develops Food Packing Film To Keep Seafood Fresh

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.