BioVoice News July 2017 Issue 2 Volume 2 | Page 64

news bytes 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 64 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.