Product design student Holly Grounds has replaced the many plastic sachets that accompany a pack of instant noodles with an edible, spice-infused wrapper that breaks down when cooked to season the broth.
The packaging consists of a flavourless biofilm, which is made from only a handful of readily-available ingredients including potato starch, glycerin and water.
Once it has been heat sealed, the film keeps the dry noodles from going stale. But as soon as it comes into contact with boiling water it dissolves in less than a minute.
With herbs and flavourings embedded into the packaging itself, the resulting liquid effectively acts as the sauce, while larger ingredients such as dried shrimp are stored loosely in the parcel before being released into the broth.
"I was able to do all the testing and manufacture in my kitchen as the process is very simple," explained Grounds, who is a recent graduate from Ravensbourne University London.
"The ingredients are blended and heated until the mixture is at the right thickness. At this point, I add the spices and flavourings before pouring it into a mould to set for 24 hours."

The resulting film is then wrapped around the dried noodle blocks, reimagined in a doughnut shape to allow them to cook more evenly and fit more neatly into a bowl.
For hygiene purposes, the individual parcels are stored in a wax-coated paper sleeve.

Grounds was motivated by the many long days and nights she spent studying, which were fuelled...