MUMBAI, India, Aug. 12 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641085989 A) filed by Meleesa A C; Praseeda P; Narthana Sri R. J; Swathi Shri S; and Dr. Hari Lakshmi; S on July 14, 2026, for Development Of Freshness Stickers For Sealed Foods Packages Using Encapsulated Buttrfly Pea- Hibiscus Anthocyanin Composite Pigments.
Inventors include Meleesa A C; Praseeda P; Narthana Sri R. J; Swathi Shri S; and Dr. Hari Lakshmi; S.
The application for the patent was published on August 07, 2026, under issue no. 32/2026.
Abstract: ABSTRACT The present invention describes an eco-friendly intelligent freshness indicator sticker that helps monitor the freshness of sealed food products through easy-to-observe colour changes. The sticker uses a natural composite pigment extracted from butterfly pea {Clitoria ternatea) and hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) flowers. To improve the stability of these natural pigments against light, oxygen, temperature, and other environmental factors, they are encapsulated using gum Arabic. The stabilized pigment is then incorporated into a biodegradable chitosan-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film to form the colour-sensitive sensing layer. The freshness indicator is designed as a multilayer sticker consisting of a gas-permeable Tyvek membrane, a food-specific reagent-coated filter paper, an air chamber, and the anthocyanin sensing film covered with a transparent PET viewing window. Different reagent layers are incorporated for meat and fish products, fruits and vegetables, and dairy products to enable the selective detection of spoilage gases such as volatile amines, carbon dioxide, and acidic metabolites. As food begins to spoil, these gases pass through the Tyvek membrane and react with the reagent layer, causing a localized change in pH. This pH change triggers a visible colour change in the anthocyanin sensing film, allowing consumers to easily determine the freshness of the packaged food without opening the package. The developed freshness indicator sticker is biodegradable, non-toxic, cost-effective, and capable of providing real-time information about food quality. It can be used in intelligent food packaging, supermarkets, retail supply chains, cold-chain transportation, household food storage, and export packaging. By providing a simple visual indication of food spoilage, the invention has the potential to improve food safety, reduce unnecessary food waste, and increase consumer confidence in packaged food products.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
