A nanofilm that emits chemical vapor can extend the shelf-life of harvests including fruits, according to researchers working on the project.
The studies are being conducted in collaboration between the University of Guelph in Canada, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in India, the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) in Sri Lanka, and MYRADA, an NGO based in South India.
Nanomaterials embedded with synthetic versions of hexanal found in beans and cucumbers in very low levels, is being developed by researchers.
In several countries hexanal is sprayed on crops, but this is not feasible for farmers in tropical countries like India as the chemical vaporizes quickly.
Lack of cold storage facilities leads a loss of 40% of the harvest, and TNAU nanoscience and technology professor KS Subramanian mentioned a person consumed just 80g of fruit a day, despite India producing in high quantity.
Scientists from Canada developed the synthetic hexanal that targets an enzyme phospholipase-D, and the TNAU team is planning to test such hexanal impregnated into natural plant fiber, which gradually releases the chemical onto the food to stop the enzyme activity.
Sri Lankan scientists would initially test hexanal by embedding it into wax, before using it in nanofilms.
Ahmedabad University Institute of Life Sciences director Alok Dhawan said the new application calls for studying its environmental impact as nanofilm wrappings containing hexanal could be thrown away by consumers.
