IIT Indore designs technology to protect farmers' fruits and vegetables, extend their shelf life

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore have developed a special LED light-based storage technology that protects farmers' fruits and vegetables from getting spoiled and helps extend their shelf life, an official said on Wednesday.

The technology employs photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of microbes using a specially designed kit, which utilizes a safe, derivatized vitamin B2 spray as a photosensitizer and a flash visible light source at effective wavelengths of 455 and 476 nm (nanometres), he said.

This combination destroys microbes on open and packed food items, ensuring complete sterilization and preventing microbial reproduction, the official explained.

He said this innovative technology can prove to be very beneficial, especially for cultivators with small farms who want to keep their produce safe in their home until they get better prices.

"With the help of our technology, fruits and vegetables can be preserved for 30 to 40 days without cold storage in a 10x10 square feet room at a cost of only Rs 1,000 per month," IIT Indore professor Debayan Sarkar told PTI.

He said under this technology, blue and green LED light of special wavelength is cast on fruits and vegetables and a special spray of vitamin B2 is done on them as a photosensitizer, thus protecting them from getting spoiled, extending their shelf life and keeping them fresh longer.

The system has been linked to a mobile application that allows farmers to monitor fruits and vegetables even while staying away from their storage rooms, Sarkar maintained.