MYSURU: Packaged perishable foods, especially milk pouches, will soon come with an indicator that will change colour to indicate if it is spoiled or not. Mysuru’s CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) has come out with this technology to determine and show whether the stored food is fresh or not.
According to CFTRI scientists, the technology can be used on packages containing milk and other products as well as meat, which gets spoiled regardless of its expiry date, if it’s not stored at the recommended temperature.
Scientists are calling it a ‘spoilage indicator’, and it’s made with special compounds that change colour to indicate the freshness of the product – green if the product is fresh, dotted orange when it starts to spoil and red when it is spoiled.
CFTRI has been at the forefront of homegrown technology, even before Atmanirbharta became a buzzword. “Products like milk or meat are supposed to be stored at a particular temperature. If milk is not stored under 4O C, despite its shelf life of two days, it will go rancid,” said Dr Rajeshwar Matche, chief scientist, food packaging technology, and head, technology transfer and business development, who led the team.
Dr Matche said though similar technology is available elsewhere, this Made in India tech is unique due to its cost factor, which is only a few paise. He said large-scale trials have been completed, and they are working on mass production. He said they are working on a smart pouch system, a more advanced product of a similar kind where a compound interacts with the food to indicate whether it is spoiled or not.