produce

Zarkon Group Real Estate Builders & Developers > Blog > produce

Tag: produce

Redefining dairy to produce sustainable ‘pink gold’ proteins
CategoriesSustainable News

Redefining dairy to produce sustainable ‘pink gold’ proteins

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: An important ingredient that makes milk and dietary supplements good for the body is the lactoferrin protein. It promotes general immune health and supports the metabolic absorption of iron. Often called “pink gold” because of its value and scarcity, the protein is found naturally in cow’s milk in very small amounts, with one litre of cow’s milk containing around 100 milligrammes of lactoferrin. That isn’t enough to keep up with global demand, particularly as the limited quantities that are available are often used in infant formula to boost nutrition levels. 

Seeking high-quality milk without the environmental side effects, TurtleTree co-founders created a precision-fermented version of the lactoferrin protein. Called LF+, the new protein is gluten- and lactose-free, vegan, and sustainable. Using large fermentation tanks like those used by brewers, the TurtleTree team replicates the structure of the cow DNA that produces lactoferrin and adds it to yeast cells. 

Those genetically modified yeast cells then grow, via industrial fermentation, into large quantities of lactoferrin. Structurally and functionally identical to the protein made naturally in cow’s milk, LF+ has the benefit of being far less expensive to produce and therefore less expensive for brands to use in their products. 

TurtleTree envisions its new version of lactoferrin being used in everything from supplements to high-performance protein drinks, and a whole host of other products that would benefit from sustainably sourced, healthy protein. The affordability of LF+, compared with traditionally produced lactoferrin, makes it possible that most infant formula worldwide could contain the essential protein in future, contributing to significant improvements in global infant health.  

The company is currently undergoing regulatory review for LF+ and this regulatory label will make it clear that the protein is safe to add to almost anything. TurtleTree is also expanding its development of the precision fermentation process to create other types of proteins also found in milk.  

Other examples from Springwise’s library that make innovative use of fermentation include the production of human milk proteins for infant formula and bioengineered fabric dyes for the textile industry.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Sustainable packaging keeps perishable produce cool 
CategoriesSustainable News

Sustainable packaging keeps perishable produce cool 

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Home delivery grocery shopping in European countries is expected to double in value by 2030. And, in the United States, researchers expect sales to be double 2021 levels by 2025. All those shipments require packaging, and many of them require temperature-controlled packaging for cold foodstuffs and other products.  

Wanting to eliminate the polluting Styrofoam that would likely go along with many of those food shipments, US-based TemperPack has created a compostable packaging material suitable for shipping pharmaceuticals, groceries, meal kits, flowers, and more. Not satisfied with simply providing a Styrofoam alternative, the company seeks to improve efficiency and reduce waste along the entirety of the cold shipping supply chain with its insulation production station. 

Called WaveKraft, the platform provides suppliers and distributors with on-demand packaging customised to the current temperature demands – of both the goods being shipped and the external weather conditions. Businesses buy the paper required to make the insulated packaging, and then fill the required sizes and shapes of paper forms with as much or as little air needed to maintain the required temperature.  

ClimaCell thermal liners help maintain correct temperatures within the packaging. Made from paper and cornstarch, the liners are also recyclable, and, as a direct replacement for Styrofoam, they meet certified performance requirements.  

Green Cell Foam is TemperPack’s third product, a compostable material that quickly breaks down in water and flushes down the kitchen sink. Made from corn, it provides both cushioning and temperature regulation, and for disposal, it can be fed to plants as a healthy supplement.  

Biobased packaging is an exciting area of growth, with innovations in Springwise’s archive including a recyclable waterproof coating and single-use bags that dissolve in water.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Bladeless wind turbines produce 24-hour energy in any weather
CategoriesSustainable News

Bladeless wind turbines produce 24-hour energy in any weather

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Just like sunshine, wind is a fairly constant aspect of the weather, yet as an energy source, it still suffers from variability. Now, a small, sleek wind turbine that generates power from winds as low as five miles per hour could tackle this issue and be one of the swiftest ways for buildings to become carbon neutral. Created by Aeromine Technologies, the bladeless turbines take up a fraction of the footprint of traditional wind farms and produce the same amount of power as that of 16 solar panels. 

Designed specifically for use on top of large buildings with flat roofs, the turbines are easy to install and maintain, particularly because they do not have rotor blades. The turbines connect directly to a building’s electrical system and work much like a racecar does, using aerodymanic designs to amplify the flow of air away from the structure. Despite working constantly, the turbines are completely silent.

Aeromine generally installs 20 to 40 of the turbines on the side of a building’s roof that receives the most consistent wind. That is usually enough to provide all of the power required by a large commercial or residential building. When combined with solar, a building could run completely on renewable energy.

Making better use of ignored spaces is a particularly effective means of reducing reliance on petrol power. Springwise has spotted small turbines harnessing hydroelectric power from slow flowing streams and rivers, as well as nanotechnology being used to generate energy from locations where rivers meet the sea.  

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Oil-eating bacteria produce ‘gold’ hydrogen
CategoriesSustainable News

Oil-eating bacteria produce ‘gold’ hydrogen

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Hydrogen has been touted as a potential fuel for the future. Hydrogen is light, storable, energy-dense, and produces no direct emissions of pollutants or greenhouse gases. However, one major stumbling block is that most hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuel sources, with around 6 per cent of global natural gas going to hydrogen production in 2019. As a result, production of hydrogen is responsible for CO2 emissions equivalent to that of the United Kingdom and Indonesia combined.

To find a ‘green’ source of hydrogen production, US startup Cemvita Factory is using special microbes to generate hydrogen from depleted and abandoned oil and gas wells. The company’s process uses naturally occurring micro-organisms that consume the carbon in the gas and oil and release hydrogen – generating up to 20-50 tonnes of what it terms ‘gold’ hydrogen per field. Cemvita defines gold hydrogen as “the biological production of hydrogen in the subsurface through the consumption of trapped or abandoned resources”.

Cemvita claims that its researchers have been able to increase the performance of the microbes by six and a half times their natural rate – enough to produce hydrogen at a cost of $1 per kilogramme. This is thought to be a key cost target needed to advance toward commercialisation. In addition, by producing the gold hydrogen from depleted oil reservoirs that are ready for abandonment, the life of wells is significantly extended – saving money.

Traditional methods of producing hydrogen cleanly include electrolysis powered by renewable sources like wind, solar, or hydro. But Cemvita is confident that its process could prove equally sustainable. “In a very short time frame, we moved our microbes from the lab to the field. The hydrogen production in this trial exceeded our expectations,” said Zach Broussard, Director of Gold H2 at Cemvita.

The race is on to produce and transport green hydrogen cheaply and at scale. Springwise has seen this in many recent innovations which range from a new way to produce renewable hydrogen fuel using sunlight to repurposing natural gas pipelines to transport hydrogen.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

A new way to produce sustainable fertiliser on site
CategoriesSustainable News

A new way to produce sustainable fertiliser on site

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Most farms use fertiliser. However, not only is fertiliser a major expense for farmers, its use can also be harmful to the environment. Ammonia, a main ingredient in commercial fertilisers takes a lot of energy to manufacture, most of which comes from burning fossil fuels. Fertilisers also release the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide into the atmospherewhen they are broken down by microbes. Biofertilisers are a more sustainable option. These contain living microorganisms that fix atmospheric nitrogen directly.

To help farmers make greater use of biofertilisers, Nitroterra technology has developed a system that allows farmers to make their own biofertilisers on site, tailoring the microorganisms to suit their precise needs. By continuously monitoring a farm’s soil properties, Nitroterra can also adjust the blends for different seasons, crop resiliency, nutrient density, and yield improvement goals.

Nitroterra first analyses each farms’ soil and uses the data to develop a customised biofertiliser recipe. This biofertiliser is then produced on-site using the company’s proprietary production unit. The modular design of the production unit allows multiple strains of microbes to be produced simultaneously. A single unit can also produce customised biofertilisers for different farms from a single site.

According to the company, biofertilisers are an important step in reversing the damage caused by the use of synthetic fertilisers. “A dramatic and urgent change in farming is needed to protect our soil system. Systematic overuse of synthetic fertilisers driven by the decades-long race for constant yield improvements pollutes soil, waterways, and air with toxic compounds and greenhouse gases, and intensifies effects of droughts and other adverse weather-driven hazards. Soil is losing its natural ability to recuperate and transfer nutrients to plants.”

Nitroterra is not the only company concerned about the environmental cost of synthetic fertiliser use. At Springwise, we have covered a number of innovations aimed at farming more sustainably. These include planting in a grid pattern to improve yields while using less herbicide, and using aquatic plants for food additives to reduce the need for plants that require fertiliser. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

26th August 2022

Website: nitroterratechnology.com

Contact: nitroterratechnology.com/contact-us

Reference