Agrifood

Globally, the post-harvest loss of tropical fruits due to short shelf life is estimated to be around 30-50% of total production. This translates to approximately 30 million tons of fruit wasted each year. The economic cost is substantial, amounting to billions of dollars annually, affecting producers, retailers, and consumers due to reduced availability and increased prices. Proliferation of fungal and bacterial population further adversely impact the shelf life and fruit health. Our innovation offers tailored, edible coating using regulatory approved ingredients specific to the fruit family and microbiomes observed in the farms. Tests conducted in labs and farms over the past two years have provided positive results for tropical fruits such as mango, avocado and papaya in doubling shelf life. This solution has multiple benefits to the stakeholders in the industry value chain. The farmer and aggregator can sell with better assurance to wider export markets and also charge a premium for fresher, tastier and longer lasting fruits. This also provides more time for retailers to sell the produce and to reduce dependency on cold storage and costly supply chain management. This innovation contributes significantly towards better food security and sustainability goals. The technology provider is seeking to conduct further trial with farmers, aggregators in Asia to enhance their solution.

The plant-based abalone is designed and prepared with mung beans, which are rich in protein, but the mung bean protein is often treated as a side stream in the industry. The plant-based abalone contains protein content comparable to that of real abalone. It also contains enhanced nutrients such as essential fatty acids which can potentially play a key role in heart health, cancer prevention, cognitive function, skin health, and obesity prevention. In addition, when cooked, this plant-based abalone presents physical properties like the real abalone, at a fraction of the cost. The technology provider is working on larger scale trials to develop optimal methods for central kitchen operations and looking to collaborate with the food industry on R&D and also to license the technology.

Clay is a naturally occurring material composed mainly of fine-grained minerals, demonstrating plasticity through a range of water content. Given the low recycling rate of food waste in Singapore (18%), incorporating food waste in existing clay products presents an opportunity to conserve natural resources and develop more sustainable clay materials. This technology involves the development of food waste-incorporated clay, which permits safe biodegradation over time without the use of kiln firing. A selection of food waste is carefully treated and blended into the clay to create sustainable clay with high waste content, high nutrients, great workability, and appropriate shelf-life. Each type of food waste contributes different physical and chemical properties to the clay, affecting its biodegradability and workability. Apart from food waste, a naturally occurring binder is also added to ensure overall biodegradability. By adjusting the formulation of the food waste-incorporated clay, its appearance and other functional properties (such as strength and workability) can be made comparable to conventional clay, with the added benefit of nutrient (calcium, potassium, nitrogen, carbon) leaching capabilities. This creates sustainable, biodegradable clay for various built environment applications. The technology owner is interested in working with companies seeking sustainable clay materials on joint R&D projects, out-licensing and test bedding opportunities .

A smart manufacturing and supply chain platform has been developed, enabling seafood processors to automate and digitize their production, quality control, costing, traceability, cold chain, and inventory workflows using tablet computers, sensors, and IoT devices in real-time on the factory floor. This software is a “low-code” web app that can be easily configured for both simple and complex workflows, suitable for small or large production facilities, and adaptable to the wide variety of seafood processes, including live shellfish, fresh and frozen fish, smokehouses, and industrial-scale canneries. The workflow platform includes advanced modules for IoT hardware integration, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and reporting, a wireless cold-chain sensor, a consumer tracing app, and computer vision for automated inspection. Generative AI is also integrated into the platform, allowing users to “talk to their data” and upload documents to train the large language model. The platform provides value to customers in three core areas: First, the software and AI reduce labor costs by making data collection, management, and reporting more efficient. Second, the software enables real-time process and inventory control, replacing outdated analog paper record-keeping. Third, the software reduces data errors and strengthens traceability, improving compliance with third-party certifications and food safety regulations. Additionally, it includes AI algorithms for yield prediction, anomaly detection, demand forecasting, and drain weight prediction in the fish canning sector.

The development of next-generation greenhouses in agriculture is driving a growing demand for innovative systems that can address both energy and food challenges simultaneously. Currently, agriculture heavily relies on fossil fuels, particularly heavy oil, as its primary energy source, new technologies must be explored to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide. Ensuring a stable food supply is crucial for increasing self-sufficiency rates, but the installation of traditional silicon solar cells has presented challenges due to shading effects, leading to reduced crop yields. Consequently, the absence of suitable solar cell technology for greenhouses poses critical problems for both power generation and food supply. Under this situation, green-light wavelength-selective organic solar cells (OSCs) have been developed. In this system, transmitted blue and red light can be effectively used to promote plant growth, while absorbed green light can be effectively utilized as a source of electricity for greenhouses. In addition, near-infrared wavelength-selective OSCs have been developed, which can use the near-infrared light to generate electricity while lowering the temperature inside the greenhouses. This wavelength-selective OSCs can be installed on the entire roof of greenhouses due to the advantages of light weight, flexible, and large area. This technology enables efficient utilization of solar energy for both power generation and agriculture.

Root rot diseases in food crops are devastating diseases currently without solution. Examples of such diseases are the Basal Stem Rot in oil palms, Fusarium Wilt in bananas, and Phytophthora Root Rot in citrus.  While fungicides have in vitro efficacy, most do not possess phloem mobility and therefore cannot reach the roots to effect treatment. Thus, despite widespread usage of fungicides, root rot diseases are still inadequately treated or are not treated at all. This Nano Delivery Technology imparts phloem mobility to fungicides, allowing them to reach the roots from the application site to treat and protect the crops. The technology is designed as a ready-to-use adjuvant that works with commercialised fungicides. Growers can independently and safely nano encapsulate the fungicides with basic mixing equipment and a simple, one-step mixing process. This technology is patent-pending and ready to market.

With mounting concerns regarding the environmental and health impacts of conventional chemical pesticides, there is a noticeable shift towards biological alternatives. This trend is fueled by a global demand for sustainable agricultural practices and safer, more environmentally-friendly produce. However, a significant challenge persists: the comparatively lower efficacy of biological pesticides. This technology addresses the challenge of low efficacy in biological pesticides, often caused by environmental factors such as heat, UV exposure, and runoffs, especially prevalent in tropical regions. It utilises plant-derived, biodegradable materials to encapsulate the biological pesticides, protecting them from environmental factors, thereby extending their residual treatment effect and reducing usage volumes and re-application frequencies. 

Only 20% of actual coffee is extracted from beans to produce coffee in its beverage form, leaving the remaining 80% (six million tons annually) deemed as spent coffee grounds (SCG) to be disposed or used in landfills or as non-food product components to make fertilisers, furniture, deodorisers or skin care products. A technology was created to counteract SCG wastage and valorise it for human consumption. This particular invention comprises of methodologies to create two types of ingredients using leftover SCG - oil-grind and water-grind processed SCG. A simple, reproducible method of conching is employed to convert leftover SCG into smooth pastes, where specific conching parameters help refine the SCG to an acceptable particle size, eliminating grittiness in numerous valorised products similar to SCG. The product utilises common ingredients like oil and water to conche SCG with improved taste and textural properties. The shelf stability and nutritional composition (including caffeine) of the ingredients were also validated to ensure the food possessed good sensorial properties and are scale up ready. This technology increases SCG’s potential use as a versatile ingredient in different food applications. The technology provider is seeking off-takers from food manufacturers, food services industry, companies interested to valorise side streams to turn SCG into edible compounds.

Fast crop disease management is important to ensure sustainable production. Many tropical crops suffer from infectious diseases that spread and kill plantations. Previously, new land had to be allocated to replant crops in disease-free areas. This is now more challenging because land conversion implies deforestation. Thus, one way to improve the metrics of both production and sustainability is by testing for infection before moving the non-infectious material (i.e. in nurseries). However, as PCR testing in tropical countries is more challenging due to logistics and other factors, testing on-site would be a preferred option. This technology is a unique, portable, self-administered DNA detection kit to be used directly on-site to test for the DNA of the pathogen (virus, fungus etc.). Developed in Switzerland, the technology has already shown one use case for cocoa testing in West Africa and is shipped in the country without a cold chain.