DipWrap, BDC 2021, Aalto University
Ena Naito and Sari Kupianen
In the 2021 Biodesign Challenge Summit, Aalto University won the Outstanding Science Prize for their project DipWrap. DipWrap is a biodegradable shrink wrap alternative to preserve produce. Vegetables and fruits can be dipped into an aqueous DipWrap solution to form a film. This can later be peeled and disposed.
Ena Naito and Sari Kupianen worked together on the DipWrap team and shared their experiences in Biodesign Challenge and their work post-Summit.
Can you introduce yourself and your project, Dipwrap?
DipWrap, a biodegradable shrink wrap alternative
Ena: Hi, I am Ena. I'm currently a doctoral researcher at Aalto University, working at the intersection of biology, design, and co-learning. My research investigates maker spaces as sites for cultivating sustainability competencies, particularly by integrating biodesign into learning processes. I am also a team member of the EU project, CoCoon: Co-creating Greener Futures, where we are partnering with other educational and research institutions to develop methodologies to mainstream biodesign education.
Sari: Hi, I'm Sari, a Master's student in Life Science Technologies at Aalto University. Currently, I am majoring in Biosystems and Biomaterials Engineering. I have also taken Master's courses in wood science and wood technology.
Sari: DipWrap is a biobased packaging material designed for cucumbers and other vegetables. It is applied in liquid form by dipping the vegetable into it. Once applied, DipWrap rapidly dries into a thin protective film over the vegetable. This film protects the vegetables from water loss and thus decreases food waste. The film can later be easily peeled off and recycled in biowaste prior to consuming the vegetable.
What inspired you to work on biodegradable shrink wrap? Were there any aspects of your past experiences, research, or education that contributed to this project?
DipWrap in action
Ena: It started in an interdisciplinary CHEMARTS course at Aalto, where we were a team of three chemical engineers and one designer. Since we were an international team with different expertise, in our first brainstorming session, we shared our interests - and at the end of the hour, we ended up talking about plastic packaging on cucumbers. At first, we wondered why cucumbers were packaged at all, but as soon as we researched about them, we learned that they were crucial for preserving the freshness of the produce, and significantly contribute to reducing food waste! Although the packaging is important, we started to wonder if there is another way to replace plastic with a biodegradable solution that can just be thrown into the biowaste. Then we thought, what if we could develop a dippable packaging solution that dries into a thin protective film?
What were some of the challenges you have faced during your project design phase?
Ena: It's not just about doing hands-on experiments in the lab - the project design involved a lot of literature research too. Of course, we read a lot of scientific articles, such as about various ingredients that have been proven to prolong freshness in fruits and vegetables. But there also had to be design considerations about the appearance of the product so that the fresh produce would look appealing to the consumers, as well as the legal aspects. Food packaging regulations are especially tight in the EU, so we read through a lot of documents about what cellulosic compounds have already been approved at the moment.
How was your experience at the Biodesign Challenge Summit? Were there any memorable experiences?
Ena: We participated in BDC during COVID-19 in 2020 - so everything was remote, but it was an amazing experience. My most memorable part was actually being "backstage" on Zoom before we had our Q&A. Although we were all pretty nervous, I remember the backstage crew [Veena, Dan, Alex, and the tech guy - I don’t remember his name…] giving us an encouraging "you can do this!" before we went live “on stage". We felt very supported throughout the Summit and met some amazing people who I still keep in touch with.
Sari: I remember being really nervous. Naturally, as an engineer, I was afraid we would be asked very detailed and scientific questions, but everyone was so kind, interested, and encouraging. When we started the project, I would have never even imagined that we would participate in the Biodesign challenge. Overall it was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
How did participating in the Biodesign Challenge Summit affect your views on biodesign?
Ena: Small ideas can grow into huge things! After BDC, we got a lot of media and academic interest from around the world, and we even had the amazing opportunity to present our idea at SLUSH (one of the largest startup and tech events in the world). It was great to see the impact of our DipWrap idea, which started a lot of conversations with scientists, businesses, academics, and the wider public. To this day, I'm still sometimes recognized as someone who was involved in the "cucumber project"!
Sari: Innovations come from out-of-the-box ideas. Creativity is so important in this field. Sometimes you just have to try things out and do your best to make unrealistically sounding concepts real. This whole project sparked my passion for biodesign and I want to continue creating and making innovations in this space. Similar to Ena, I too get recognized as one of the “cucumber people”.
Are you still working in the biodesign space? What are some of your current projects/research that you are excited about?
Ena: Yes, I'm now diving even deeper into the biodesign field! The BDC experience motivated me to continue in the biodesign sphere, and now I'm doing my doctoral research in the field. My current research revolves around incorporating biodesign into creative education. I am hoping that more and more people will be able to have the opportunity as I did - to enter biodesign and become fascinated by it.
Sari: Currently, I am not actively working in the biodesign space. Although, I do hope to return to this space with a new project in the near future. At this moment, I am concentrating on my studies that are related to the field. I do often think about new project ideas and I have a few in mind that I might try out. Within the past two years, I have gotten interested in wood science and wood technology. It is amazing to see how wood can be used and how versatile material it is. I see forest-based materials and innovations as the future. I hope people from a wide variety of backgrounds have the opportunity to join the biodesign space and create unique, amazing, and meaningful projects.
How is your experience working with Cocoon, Ena?
Ena: It's been a fantastic experience with a lovely team of people. We have a very diverse team with various backgrounds and expertise, so working towards something bigger with them is such a privilege for me. Since biodesign is so multi- and trans-disciplinary, its advancement needs to be tackled from all angles, involving designers, scientists, educators, students, policymakers, public, etc. We are currently working towards creating modules and curriculums for biodesign, so keep an eye out on our website at www.cocoon.bio!
As part of this research, I am also building a DIY GrowLab at the University which you can find at @a.little.growlab. I would like to show that you don’t need extensive and professional resources to start delving into biodesign.
Sari, you have done extensive work on wood-based materials. Can you tell us a little about it and its implications for biodesign?
Left: DipWrap formulations with different types of cellulose.
Right: Experimental set up for studying the nanostructures of Spruce samples.
Sari: I have completely fallen in love with wood science and wood technology. After the Biodesign Challenge, I and one of the other team members continued doing research on DipWrap for almost a year. We tested several formulations and their properties. We also got the opportunity to test out a few very special types of cellulose in DipWrap. Moreover, we met and had the opportunity to work with some amazing people who work in the field. I have learned so much about design and research through the Dipwrap project and it is something I will be forever grateful about. Last December I finished my bachelor's thesis about X-ray Characterization of Wood. My thesis included laboratory research on how different drying methods might affect the nanostructure of Spruce. This type of research is so important as it widens our knowledge of the material’s structure. When there is more knowledge about the structure, the material’s behavior and properties can possibly be better understood. More thorough knowledge might allow innovations to be more intricate and state-of-the-art.
Do you have any advice for BDC students or teams that are coming into the Challenge now?
Ena: Whenever I'm doing talks on biodesign, I always say this to the students: storytelling is just as important as the innovation itself. What is the story behind your innovation? How would people remember it? For example, although DipWrap could technically be developed for other fresh produce, we stuck to the simple cucumber story because that makes it more relatable and memorable. I think how you communicate your research to a diverse range of stakeholders is one of the keys to a successful biodesign project!
Sari: Trust your idea and trust yourselves. You know your project the best and now you just have to make others interested and excited about it. I agree with Ena that storytelling is important and she is incredible at it. You could have the best product in the world, but if you do not present it well, why would people care? As an engineer, this is something that I should improve on. Instead of making your project perfect, make it good and communicate why it is different, innovative, needed, exciting and unique.