Citrus fruits have long been waxed to keep them fresh and shiny, and now the concept is being applied to other fruits in a bid to tackle food waste. A lack of temperature controlled storage in the supply chain is causing 40 million tons of Indian produce to go to waste, so Nabi developed a wheat-based coating to extend shelf-life at ambient temperatures.
Similar in concept to Apeel and NatuWrap, Nabi’s invention not only reduces food waste but saves the costs and energy use that come with refrigeration. A patent has been filed but a question mark remains as to whether this potentially revolutionising innovation will make it to market.