WayCool Foods ties up with IIT-Hyderabad to develop antimicrobial food packaging material

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Mumbai: Agri supply chain startup WayCool Foods has signed a three-year agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) to develop antimicrobial food packaging material by using biopolymers.

As per the Memorandum of Understanding, WayCool will invest close to Rs 20 lakh for co-developing 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%, the agri startup said.

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, it added.

“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 Foods EVP Vignesh Kumar Manogaran added.