The startup Green Code has developed a natural extract capable of extending the shelf life of fruit and vegetable products, without the use of artificial preservatives. The fight against food waste starts in Italy.
A natural extract capable of slowing the ageing of fruit and vegetable products, without the use of refrigeration or artificial preservatives. This is what Demetra does — a new product that has recently entered the agrifood market, developed by the startup Green Code, incubated by Progetto Manifattura, in Trento.
The product, tested for months in the preservation of apples from Trentino, has yielded interesting results: it extended the shelf life of the product, made the apples crunchier and more resistant to fungi and microbes, and brought ripening to a complete halt.
The extract is applied immediately after harvesting, either by immersion or nebulisation. In this way, the ripening of the fruit is halted while its vitamin content and nutrients are preserved.
"Instead of applying genetic engineering, thanks to biotechnology it is now possible to intervene at a molecular level by harnessing what nature has already made available in terms of plant extracts," explains Emiliano Gentilini, president and co-founder of Green Code, in a statement. "Demetra has shown extraordinary results right from the start, which could reduce the incidence of rot and the waste of fruit and vegetables at every level of the supply chain by 80–90 per cent." With a projected reduction of 30 per cent in waste and 50 per cent in emissions from storage.
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Tests carried out with Demetra demonstrated that treated apples retained greater crunchiness, firmer flesh and showed fewer physiological disorders, compared to the same product stored in conventional cold-storage facilities. "We have learnt from nature how to act on the hormonal physiology of climacteric fruit (apples, pears, kiwis, peaches, apricots, bananas, tomatoes, avocados, exotic fruit, peppers, courgettes, etc.), using the same tools available to plants," says Francesco Guzzonato, head of research and co-founder of Green Code. "This means intercepting and exploiting biological mechanisms that already exist in nature and replicating them on a large scale, without intervening chemically or with GMO products."
Demetra won the international competition "Idee Innovative e Tecnologie per l'Agribusiness", an initiative promoted by Unido Itpo Italy, the Italian office for technology promotion and investment of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, in collaboration with the National Research Council (Cnr) and Seeds & Chips-The Global Food Innovation Summit, an event held in Milan last May that was attended by former United States president Barack Obama.
An innovation that could help reduce the third of food wasted every year around the world, before it even reaches supermarket shelves, and reduce the 250 km³ of water and 1.4 billion hectares of land used every year to produce food that will never be consumed. "We are already trialling Demetra with major players in Italian food," concludes Gentilini. "Our hope now is to open up to international markets in developing countries and to work actively on international cooperation projects."