Scientists design lignin-rich nanoparticles from Indian Ridge gourd

Lignin, like cellulose, is an insoluble fibre found in many fruits and vegetables including kiwi, ridge gourd, carrots, spinach and kale. In a recent study, scientists from the Vivekananda College of Pharmacy, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research (PPISR) have prepared lignin-rich nanoparticles from vegetables by treating their fibres with special enzymes thus making it ‘green’. They propose a novel technique for  manufacturing unique cube-shaped lignin-rich nanoparticles that are uniform in size and shape. These lignin-rich nanoparticles, they claim, have potential applications in automobile, pharmaceutical and polymer industries.