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HomePosts Tagged "eco-friendly"
Allied Industry, Sustainability, Textile industry

The wound dressing material presents a sustainable solution for wound care and suggests additional uses for the abundant banana plant

An eco-friendly wound dressing material made using banana fibres presents a sustainable solution for wound care.

India, the world’s largest banana-farming country, has an abundance of banana pseudo stems, discarded after harvest.

In a pioneering effort, scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, have transformed banana pseudo stems, often considered agricultural waste, into an eco-friendly wound dressing material.

Led by Prof. Devasish Chowdhury and Prof. (Retd) Rajlakshmi Devi, the research team, including Mridusmita Barman, a research scholar in the IASST-Deakin University Joint PhD programme, has ingeniously combined the banana fibres with biopolymers like chitosan and guar gum to create a multifunctional patch with excellent mechanical strength and antioxidant properties.

Taking it a step further, the researchers loaded the patch with an extract from the Vitex negundo L. plant, demonstrating the capabilities of plant extract-loaded banana fibre-biopolymer composite patch in vitro drug release and as antibacterial agents. All the materials used in creating this innovative dressing material are natural and locally available, making the manufacturing process simple, cost-effective, and non-toxic.

The wound dressing material presents a sustainable solution for wound care and suggests additional uses for the abundant banana plant, which may benefit farmers and minimize environmental impact.

“This investigation opens the door to a new era in wound healing, offering a low-cost, reliable, and environmentally friendly alternative that holds significant potential in biomedical research,” says Prof. Chowdhury. The banana fiber-biopolymer composite dressing could revolutionise wound care with its broad applications and positive impact on health and the environment. Elsevier recently published this work in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules.

The groundbreaking research has recently been published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules by Elsevier, further highlighting its significance in the scientific community.

The wound dressing material presents a sustainable

Company News, R&D, World

This partnership extends the technology beyond healthcare and into agricultural applications

Alveo Technologies, Inc. announced a collaboration with Corteva Agriscience to expand the offering of its novel eco-friendly molecular sensing and disease diagnostics technology to include a first-in-field agricultural disease diagnostic.

Alveo has developed a rapid, handheld, portable medical-grade platform that pairs advanced molecular assays with cloud-enabled data analytics for real-time disease, pathogen analysis, and diagnosis. Using this highly sensitive multiplexed molecular testing platform, Corteva scientists aim to design crop-specific assays to detect pathogens in the field.

“Alveo has developed a game-changing, mobile ‘molecular lab’ that can deliver highly sensitive and specific diagnostic testing where it is needed, which can help solve some of the world’s most complex problems, like pandemics and global food crises,” said Shaun Holt, Alveo CEO. “Our collaboration with Corteva reflects our core focus of taking molecular testing out of the lab and directly to the point of need where it can deliver insight and guidance. This partnership extends the technology beyond healthcare and into agricultural applications.”

“Corteva Agriscience explores the latest technologies as we strive to bring actionable insights and solutions to farmers where and when they need them,” said Gina Zastrow-Hayes, Technical Director, Seed, R&D & Biotechnology, Corteva. “We are pleased to explore this feasibility with Alveo and are excited by the potential that in-field molecular testing platforms hold for the agricultural industry.”

This partnership extends the technology beyond healthcare

Agrotech, India, Live Stock, R&D

A portable, detachable, and mobile meat processing unit along with a compact, cost-effective, and eco-friendly

National Meat Research Institute (NMRI), Hyderabad has developed Swachh Meat Hub, a portable, detachable, and mobile meat processing unit along with a compact, cost-effective, and eco-friendly (C2E) composter named WOW (wealth out of waste) hut.

The facility was inaugurated by Suseela Chintala, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Telangana RO, Hyderabad in the presence of Dr S. B. Barbuddhe, Director, ICAR – NMRI, Hyderabad.

Chintala urged for large-scale popularisation of the technologies Pan-India.

Dr Barbuddhe presented an overview of the livestock sector and its role in nutritional security. He also briefed the activities undertaken at the institute.

Fifteen participants from 6 states were given hands-on training in the area of hygienic meat production and value addition.

The activities were undertaken through a NABARD-sponsored project on Wholesome meat production and value addition for small and medium-scale entrepreneurship development.

A portable, detachable, and mobile meat processing

Agrotech, Company News, Horticulture, India, Packaging & Labelling, Start ups, Supply Chain, Sustainability

Superplum has now announced eco-friendly packaging with zero plastic for their farm-fresh grapes

Superplum, a Noida-based startup, is providing consumers with safe-to-eat grapes that are tested for pesticides. Farm practices and growing methods are analysed before harvesting, and grapes are then tested by NABL-accredited labs to ensure food safety.

Superplum is committed to promoting transparency with customers by allowing them to view these pesticide test reports by scanning the QR code on their packaging. This gives customers information about where their grapes were grown and which farmer produced them and even offers them the opportunity to reward the farmer with a bonus payment. 

In an effort to improve sustainability, Superplum has now announced eco-friendly packaging with zero plastic for their farm-fresh grapes. With Indians consuming grapes in millions of plastic packs, this small change can help reduce our ecological footprint. Consumers will not only eat healthier, but they can also help contribute positively to the environment.

Superplum’s fresh grapes in their all-new eco-friendly packaging are now available online and in Delhi, NCR and Bengaluru stores.

The fresh produce industry in India has been long plagued by high levels of pesticides in grapes. While India has become one of the world’s largest table grape exporters by following global standards for pesticide residues, most Indian consumers have to consume grapes with high contaminant levels in their own country.

Superplum has now announced eco-friendly packaging with