Edible cutlery and tableware made out of wheat bran | Fusion - WeRIndia

Plastic, especially, single-use plastic has many harmful effects, including environmental pollution.

Considering the ill effects of plastic, many states in India banned single-use plastic. Kerala is one of them.

Several people in India are ready to stop using plastic if they have alternatives. Researchers are exploring ways to find out alternatives to it. Ernakulam native Vinayakumar Balakrishnan is one who came up with edible cutlery.

Like many health-conscious people, Vinayakumar was also searched for alternatives to single-use plastic. But, he realized that there is a huge gap in this sector as there are only a few plastic alternatives in the market. And some of them have issues.

Hence, he launched Thooshan to sell eco-friendly cutlery made out of wheat bran. The cutlery includes spoons, forks, knives etc. Besides, bowls, cups, plates, and food containers will also be made using wheat bran.

The name Thooshan was derived from Thooshanila (tapered plantain leaf). Keralites have a tradition of eating out of disposable banana leaves.

Thooshan’s products are manufactured by Aura Exim and sold by Vir Naturals Pvt Ltd.

Vinayakumar says that the production of the company starts with edible dinner plates. Other products will be launched in the market soon.

The edible dinnerware can withstand temperatures of -10 to 140 degrees. Hence, they can be used in the microwave as well. They have a longer shelf life and are bacteria-resistant.

In addition to that, the edible tableware and cutlery are biodegradable as well. Those who do not like to eat the plates and other cutlery can discard them.

These items can also be used as feed to cattle, poultry, and fish. Due to their biodegradable nature, they can be used as organic manure.

As wheat bran is used as raw material for these products, farmers can earn extra income with it. Normally, wheat bran is discarded by them.

Vinayakumar researched for almost two years before launching his products into the market with the help of many scientists.

Image Credit: Thooshan Website

Image Reference: https://thooshan.com/