United States. From a sustainable, low-cost egg-based coating to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, Rice University materials scientist Muhammad Rahman has won an award from the National Science Foundation.
The project addresses the challenges of food preservation and waste management and could help improve access to fresh produce in food deserts, areas with little access to healthy and affordable food.
"The goal of this project is to develop a protein-based, biodegradable and environmentally friendly nanocomposite coating that can be applied to the surface of fruits and vegetables in a variety of ways," said Rahman, research assistant professor in materials science and nanoengineering.
"The coating will extend shelf life by reducing product spoilage, dehydration and microbial growth rates," he said.
"This award will allow me to move this lab project to pilot scale. Food coating practices are currently based on waxes, and a protein-based coating could really be a game changer," Rahman continued.
Fruits and vegetables have the highest spoilage rates of all foods. More than half of all products end up in the trash.
Up to one-third of the food produced globally is wasted each year, and an estimated 30-40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated in 2010 that nearly 220 pounds of food waste are produced each year per person, with a total value of $161 billion.
"The broader hope of this project is to improve the carbon footprint and sustainability of the food industry," Rahman added.
"I strive to align my research with the challenges of this critical and historic moment confronting us with the urgent need to address anthropogenic climate change and find real solutions for a more sustainable future," he concluded.
Rahman's project builds on previous research on egg-based coating, which was shown to double the shelf life of avocados, bananas and other fruits.
The coating, which is made from leftover eggs, earned Rahman and his collaborator Pulickel Ajayan the Sustainable Technologies/Future Energy category in the 2021 Tech Briefs Create the Future competition.
