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Rs 4510.55 crore, as compared to
Rs. 3699.45 crore in the previous
three years”, the Minister said.
INDIAN SCIENTISTS TURN POTATO
PEEL INTO PACKAGING MATERIAL
Scientists at Tezpur University in
Assam have made thin biopolymer
films from potato peels and fruit
pomace waste to store food items.
The films are 0.3 millimeters thin
and can withstand temperatures as
high as 200 degree Celsius. They
have good breakage strength and
elongation capacity. Moreover, they
are biodegradable and can be used
to store perishable foods such as
bread.
Clove oil
was added
to the films
to impart
anti-
bacterial
properties
so that they can be used for storing
perishable food items such as bread.
To test the ability of the biofilm to
preserve food, bread was either kept
open or wrapped in polyethylene
sheet or in the new biopolymer
film for 5 days. Biopolymer film
prevented weight loss and microbial
growth. “The film was successful in
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BioVoiceNews | July 2017
lowering the weight loss, reducing
the hardness and inhibiting surface
microbial load from bread sample”,
say scientists who developed the
new biofilm. The research results
have been published in journal
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry.
CROP & LIVESTOCK DAMAGES
FROM WILDLIFE CONTINUE
UNABATED, REVEALS STUDY
A nation-wide study of the human-
wildlife conflict around wildlife
reserves across the country
has highlighted the need for a
comprehensive evaluation of
the current mitigation strategies
as despite widespread use of
protection measures for crops
and livestock, many households
continued to experience losses.
The three year study long
conducted around 11 reserves
has found that 71 percent of the
households surveyed had suffered
crop loss, and 17 percent livestock
loss. Besides, three per cent of
the households had members
who had been either killed or
injured because of animal attack.
The survey had covered 5,196
households living in 2,855 villages
at different distances from the
boundaries of the reserves.