The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has given its stamp of approval to ‘En-Ripe’, an ethylene gas encapsulated powder developed by a city-based startup, as a safe method for artificial ripening of mangoes.
The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) declared it acetylene-free in its report last year, said Pramod Kumar Mamidi Reddy, director of Heighten Innovative Solutions that manufactures the innovative product. “It ripens fruits without any dangerous chemical effects, and will be a game-changer for farmers producing mangoes and bananas in particular,” he said at a press conference here on Tuesday.
The powder contains vegetable starch extracted from bananas, coir pith and activated charcoal to attract moisture for ethylene release.
“One sachet costing ₹25 would be enough for ripening 20 kgs of fruits. All it costs is 50 paise per kg and farmers can themselves ripen and sell the fruits at a higher price in the market rather than depending on traders,” said Madhava Reddy Maddi, managing director of the startup.
No comments:
Post a Comment