Ilaria Rosella Pagliaro A Ugandan startup has created a plant-based bag that keeps fruit fresh for over a month—without refrigeration or chemicals.
Every year, over 1.1 billion tons (1,000 million metric tons) of food go to waste globally, while millions of people still suffer from hunger. Fruit is one of the most commonly wasted foods, often spoiling before it can be eaten or even sold. The cause? In many regions, especially in the Global South, cold storage is a luxury—infrequent, unreliable, or simply non-existent.
This is where Karpolax comes in. A young Ugandan startup founded by Sandra Namboozo and Samuel Muyita, Karpolax offers an ingenious, sustainable and natural fix to a problem that has long seemed unsolvable: how to keep fruit fresh, longer, without refrigeration or chemicals. Their solution? A tiny biodegradable bag that extends fruit freshness for up to 30 days.
From farming families to innovation leaders
Both Namboozo and Muyita were born into farming families, so they know the pain points of the agricultural supply chain intimately. In Uganda, much of the produce rots before it even hits the market, due to the lack of cold chains. These losses don’t just affect farmers—they compromise entire food systems.
Drawing on this lived experience, they launched Karpolax in 2020. Their invention is deceptively simple: a plant-based sachet that delays the ripening process of fruit and protects it from mold and bacteria. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s already drawing international attention, earning the duo a spot among the top ten finalists for the 2025 Young Inventors Prize by the European Patent Office (EPO).
How karpolax works
The real magic behind Karpolax lies in its volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—substances extracted from plants such as clove, lemongrass, eucalyptus, and wintergreen. These compounds are known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Once placed inside a fruit crate or storage container, the Karpolax sachet slowly releases these VOCs, adapting to the type of fruit being preserved.
As Namboozo puts it:
“You simply insert the bag into the fruit crates during storage or transport, and the active compound does the rest.”
And that’s it. No refrigeration, no sprays, no alteration of taste or composition. Unlike traditional chemical preservatives, Karpolax is completely safe for human consumption and environmentally friendly.
Results that speak for themselves
Initial trials by Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization have been, frankly, impressive. Treated mangoes stayed fresh for 33 days, compared to just 11 days for untreated ones. Later tests showed similar success with bananas, apples, and oranges. The team is already working on versions tailored for pineapples, berries, and bell peppers.
Growing impact and continental ambition
Since its launch, Karpolax has partnered with over 100 farmers, 20 exporters, and 250 market vendors in Uganda. The startup is now planning to expand across East Africa, with eyes on Kenya and Rwanda as next steps.
“We wanted to create something that wasn’t just a laboratory exercise, but had a real impact on people’s lives.”
And that’s exactly what they’re doing—turning a grassroots idea into a scalable, impactful solution.
