Development of multi-millet edible bowls using little, kodo & barnyard: a sustainable alternative to plastic cups

Abstract

Plastic waste presents a significant challenge due to its non-organic nature, leading to a substantial accumulation of plastic waste globally. Plastic bowls, in particular, are widely-used in daily use, making the development of multi-millet edible bowls a viable substitute for traditional plastic options. In this study, we optimized multi-millet edible bowls using major ingredients such as little, kodo, and barnyard millet flours and compared with control edible bowls made from refined flour. The optimised multi-millet edible bowls exhibited significantly lower levels of calories, fat, moisture but higher levels of dietary fibre and protein compared to the control edible bowls. Furthermore, the multi-millet edible bowls exhibited slightly thicker structures, higher hardness but with significantly reduced water absorption properties (~ twofold) and oil absorption properties (~ threefold) in comparison to control. Scanning electron microscopy images of the multi-millet edible bowls revealed the starch granule structure offering valuable insights into their composition. High-resolution mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of 3092 distinct metabolic products, comprising of 24 compounds, including primary and secondary metabolites. Additionally, preliminary soil degradation test indicated that the developed bowls were biodegradable within 42 days. In conclusion, the development of multi-millet edible bowls offers a promising, environmentally conscious alternative to traditional plastic-based bowls and biodegradability. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.