To mitigate this, researchers at Kyushu University are looking for biodegradable alternatives for food packaging. The Kyushu University researchers chose to focus on pumpkin peel, as it makes up around 10% of the fruit’s mass and is rich in antioxidant compounds. A biodegradable material often explored for packaging is CMC/Gel, a mixture of gelatin and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) that forms a non-toxic biopolymer film. In the future, the researchers hope to further optimise their biodegradable CQD packaging to ensure it can meet established safety and regulatory limits. “Beyond the environmental benefits, I’d also love for this material to bring a bit of fun to food packaging.