Edible glasses made of apples. Source: Samara Polytech

While attempting to develop edible food film, biotechnologists from Samara State Technical University devised a method for turning natural ingredients into single-use dishware.

Using standard, food industry processing techniques, including mixing, concentrating and forming layers of raw material, the biotechnologists used the puree of fruits and vegetables to construct a mass and added a plasticizer, which is a natural adhesive substance. Once added, the finished layer was dried at temperatures no higher than 60° C. The team first applied the process to create an alternative for drinking glasses, as they are reportedly the most common type of disposable plastic dishware.

While in development, the biotechnologists tested the process on a variety of raw fruit and vegtable-based materials, including carrots, currants, chokeberries, plums, strawberries, pumpkins, blueberries and green beans, eventually settling on apples. Apples proved most suitable for edible dishware because they tasted the best. When testing an apple-based cup, researchers noted that it held up against boiling water and could hold liquid for up to three hours.

Although edible packaging and dishware composed of natural products, including rice, coffee and avocado seeds, already exist, those products are only conditionally edible — that is, these products often contain artificial additives that are not absorbed by the human body. However, the Samara team developed a substance made from all-natural plant material to work as an adhesive through a process that did not require chemical synthesis.

The Samara team believes that the edible dishware will be ideal for a variety of applications, including for workers in the Arctic or on offshore oil platforms, for instance.

"Waste plastic dishware is hard to dispose of. For example, not all of them can be used as secondary raw materials,” explained Dmitrii Bykov, the rector of Samara State Technical University, professor of chemical engineering and industrial ecology.

"Nowadays, they make compostable plastics, but I think they are even worse. Plastic turns into dust, and small pieces are dispersed in the environment. It takes a long time to complete their combustion. In addition, particles of plastic fall into the tissues of flora and fauna, including those that are in food chains. Our glasses are made of real biomaterial, therefore they are absolutely non-toxic."