A three-year MoU was signed between the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad and WayCool Foods, an agri-supply chain start-up, to produce biopolymer-based antimicrobial food packaging materials.
The company in a statement said that the goal was to create a commercially sustainable and biodegradable packaging that would maintain the freshness of long stretches of fruits and vegetables, resulting in a 20 percent reduction of food waste through the supply chain.
WayCool Foods will spend up to Rs 2 million during the association's three-year term, it added. 'The collaboration with IIT Hyderabad to co-develop a safe alternative packaging approach further complements our in-house research and development and innovation activities,' said Vignesh Kumar Manogaran, the company's executive vice president.
He added that the collaboration will help the business work closely with the brilliant minds of India's premier universities and enhance the relationship between industry and academia. WayCool distributes to almost 20,000 supermarket stores, as well as large buyers, the diverse variety of fresh goods and staples. IIT Hyderabad, The Cellulose Group (Head), Mudrika Khandelwal, said,' Biopolymer is an environmentally safe material for food processing and we are pleased to work with WayCool Foods to create this innovative approach to increase product shelf-life and also reduce the total carbon footprint linked to food packaging.'
The packaging content will increase fruits and vegetables' shelf life, the statement said.
