The Chemical Cost of Food - How UV Light Is Killing The Nasties
California-based TRIC Robotics has developed autonomous field robots that use UV-C light to suppress pathogens, fungal diseases and pests without applying conventional chemical sprays. Operating mostly at night, the robots expose crops to precisely controlled doses of ultraviolet light, disrupting disease cycles while reducing the need for chemical intervention. The timing is significant.
23 hours ago2 min read
The Zespri Paradox Revisited - We Made A Mistake!
Six days ago we published THIS STORY about the Zespri Paradox - it was wrong for one small but embarrassingly point and as is sometimes inconvenient in journalism - the fact got in the way of a good story.
24 hours ago2 min read
Could The Coffee Cultures Biggest Tradition Be About To Change With Sound Waves?
Researchers at UNSW Sydney have demonstrated a method of producing espresso-strength coffee using ultrasonic sound waves and room-temperature water.
3 days ago1 min read
Plant-Based Isn't Dead. Just Bad Plant-Based
The company produces whole-cut plant-based meat products using a fermentation-based process built around soy and wheat proteins. Unlike many first-generation plant-based brands focusing heavily on burgers and mince, Chunk has built its range around premium steaks, pulled meat products and diced meat alternatives designed to deliver a more convincing eating experience.
5 days ago1 min read
From Milk to Microbes Could Taupo Bio Valley Feed the Future?
The concept is simple but powerful. Imagine a Taupo Bio Valley stretching across New Zealand's geothermal corridor, where renewable energy, industrial heat and biotechnology come together to produce the next generation of food ingredients and nutritional products. Precision fermentation facilities could manufacture animal-free whey protein, casein, collagen and specialised food ingredients using microbes rather than livestock. Geothermal energy would provide the stable power
6 days ago1 min read
The Zespri Paradox Is New Zealand’s Canary In The Coal Mine
A kiwifruit grown in the Bay of Plenty travels 18,500 kilometres to Germany and can still sell for less than the same fruit sitting on a New Zealand supermarket shelf. Meanwhile, imported butter is increasingly appearing at prices below locally produced butter in New Zealand supermarkets. For many consumers it feels absurd. For New Zealand, it may be one of the most important economic signals of the decade - the Zespri Paradox.
7 days ago2 min read
Nestlé Bets on Precision Fermentation as Infant Nutrition Enters a New Era
Baby formula may be about to join the growing list of foods being produced with biotechnology rather than traditional agriculture. Food giant Nestlé has backed US biotech company Helaina, which uses precision fermentation to produce proteins found in human breast milk. The move signals that some of the world's largest food companies are looking beyond alternative meat and towards specialised infant nutrition products where biotechnology can deliver ingredients that are diffic
Jun 71 min read
How New Zealand Regulated Away a Billion-Dollar Seaweed Opportunity
New Zealand did not lose a seaweed company. It lost a seat at the table of a rapidly emerging global methane-reduction industry.
CH4 Global was established in New Zealand in 2019 with the goal of commercialising Asparagopsis seaweed as a methane-reducing livestock feed supplement. The technology works. Research has repeatedly shown methane reductions of up to 90 percent or more in cattle. Investors backed the company. Global demand emerged. International partnerships followe
Jun 52 min read
Glad to see the industry thriving again.