Researchers in Australia have discovered a unique way to turn banana plantation waste into packaging material that they say is both biodegradable and recyclable. Jayashree Arcot, Associate Professor and Professor Martina Stenzel were exploring different ways to convert agricultural waste into something that could add value to the industry it came from while potentially solving problems for another. The technique was developed at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). It involves taking the pseudostems of the banana plant and converting the waste into nano cellulose, which can further be used to create packaging.
According to the researchers, the banana industry produces large amounts of waste, with only 12% of the plant being used i. e. the fruit while the rest of it is discarded after harvest. Associate Professor, Jayashree Arcot stated that the banana-growing business is particularly wasteful compared to other fruit crops as it is a fact that the plant dies after each harvest. They have also claimed that they were particularly interested in the pseudostems which are basically the layered, fleshy trunks of the plant that is cut down after each harvest and mostly discarded on the field. Some of it is even used for textiles and some as compost but other than that it is a huge waste.
The researchers set to work in extracting cellulose to test its suitability as a packaging alternative by using a supply of pseudostem material from banana plants grown at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. As per Professor Arcot, the pseudostem is 90% water and the solid material ends up reducing to about 10%. The pseudostem was brought into the lab and chopped into pieces, dried at very low temperatures in a drying oven and then milled into a very fine powder. The powder was then washed with a very soft chemical treatment which isolated the nano cellulose. Nanocellulose is a material of high value that has a wide range of applications out of which one of them is single-use food packaging. When processed, the material had a consistency similar to baking paper and depending upon the thickness, the material could be used to make trays for meat and fruit or even shopping bags. The material was completely non-toxic, biodegradable and recyclable. Both the researchers confirmed that the material would break down organically after putting ‘films’ of the cellulose material in the soil for six months.
As per a report by Value Market Research, the rise in demands and consumption of easy-to-eat and packaged food products is driving the growth of the food packaging market. The growing population, rising count of working women, rise in the trend of fast-paced life, growing disposable income are the prime factors contributing significantly to market growth as per the report. Additionally, the increased awareness among the population regarding food safety is again pushing the market uphill. The growth of organized and unorganized retail is also impacting the market growth positively.
The researchers have stated that for the banana pseudostem to be an alternative to plastic bags and food packaging, it would make sense for the banana industry to start the processing of the pseudostems into a powder that they could then sell to packaging suppliers. Also, banana is an annual plant that makes its usage even more attractive. Professor Arcot said that if the banana industry could come on board and convey to their farmers or growers that there’s a lot of value in using those pseudostems to make into a powder which could be sold and that it’s a much better option for them as well as for the packaging industry.
Naira Shekhawat has been into Content Writing just after completing her Graduation in English Literature. Her love for words has won her many accolades in her respective jobs ever since. Naira covers business sections for VMR News. She is a traveller by heart and loves writing on food blogs as a freelancer.