Research Projects

The food packaging industry is a major contributor to the plastic menace, causing significant damage to Earth's ecosystems. Humans have produced around 9.2 billion tons of plastic, with only 9% recycled. The weight of plastic generated annually is almost equivalent to the entire human population. To address this issue, computational chemists can contribute by designing and simulating the properties of natural membranes that are non-toxic, hydrophobic, robust, and tensile enough to act as an alternative fully bioavailable food packaging material. Polysaccharides, omnipresent in nature, have incredible film-forming abilities and are increasingly exploited in food packaging industries due to their mechanical, thermal, optical, and chemical properties. However, their hydrophilic nature results in a low barrier to moisture gain or loss, preventing their wide usage. A material suitable for food packaging must have a significant barrier against microbes and prevent percolation of volatile compounds, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, which contribute to food flavor. Despite their bioavailability and bio-degradability, polysaccharides lack water resistance, making their potential development as food packaging materials limited. Combining equilibrium and steered molecular dynamics simulations can help determine the tensile strength and extent of deformation of the membrane at the molecular level. This proposal aims to provide insights into the development of food-grade biomaterials that are non-toxic, sustainable, and environment-friendly, making them useful for the food packaging industry.