Science Shorts: Soy whey-based alcohol development, wagyu research, 3D printing and more in our round-up
From waste to taste: Singapore food tech firm develops soy whey-based alcohol
Singapore food tech company, SinFooTech, is upcycling soy whey food waste into an alcoholic beverage, Sachi, using its zero waste patented fermentation technology.
Food waste accounts for approximately 10% of Singapore’s total waste, so the company hopes to turn waste from the food manufacturing industry into innovative food ingredients and products to reduce the environmental footprint.
Sachi contains 7% alcohol by volume, and has a fruity, floral, sake-like flavour profile, which is rich in antioxidants and gluten-free too.
Beef boost? Wagyu consumption ‘not detrimental’ to heart health: New Zealand study
A new study from New Zealand argues that the consumption of beef is ‘not detrimental’ to cardiovascular health, amidst recent controversy surrounding red meat consumption guidelines.
The study was conducted by the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland, and was centred around research to determine the best beef option with the lowest cardiovascular risk, as well as too compare the nutritional benefits of plant-based options with that of meat.
It looked at 50 male participants with heightened cardiovascular disease risk between the ages of 35 to 55 with comparable weight and blood cholesterol profiles. These participants were randomly segregated into three test groups which would consume either pasture-raised New Zealand Wagyu-cross beef, grain-fed Angus beef or a soy protein alternative three times a week (500g in total).
According to study co-researcher Dr Amber Milan, the authors found no significant difference between the cardiovascular disease risk biomarkers for the three test groups after the study ran for eight weeks.
Of sustainability and partnerships: Stellapps Technologies wins Rabobank SustainableAg Asia Challenge top prize
India’s Stellapps Technologies has emerged as the top champion of the Rabobank SustainableAg Asia Challenge following an intense pitching session, as experts and judges urged a mindset shift from ‘competitive’ to ‘complementary’ to achieve true sustainable partnerships.
The final pitching session was held in Singapore, seeing pitches from the top 14 finalists, which were shortlisted from a total of 138 competitors from all over Asia.
The session saw pitches covering a variety of market-ready data-driven technologies and innovative solutions that aim towards the development of increased efficiency for supply chains, which are expected to increase sustainability practices within the food production industry.
Stellapp Technologies took home the win for its SmartMoo solution, which drives digitisation of the dairy sector by capturing data from the entire supply chain from farm to collection centres to chilling centres in India.
Personalisation and sustainability: How 3D printing could revolutionise F&B in APAC
Advocates of 3D food printing believe it has widespread opportunities for both food personalisation and sustainability, so in this edition of Asia’s Food Future: Industry 4.0 we assess if the technology truly has the potential to transform the industry.
Estimated to hit over US$432mn in value by 2025, the 3D food printing market is likely to be spurred on by factors such as increasing consumer demand for customisation and convenience. The Asia Pacific region is expected to see the fastest growth worldwide in this sector.
How 3D food printing works is basically to ‘print’ out layers and layers of the food of choice in order to form an edible 3D object.
“Think about a 2D printer like your normal inkjet printer, and imagine if the paper gets stuck and the word being printed gets reprinted many times in the same place over and over again, so the layers of ink start to build up and get higher, so you eventually have a 3D word – that’s essentially how 3D printing works,” Natural Machines Co-Founder and CMO Lynette Kucsma told FoodNavigator-Asia.
QR and AR: How smarter packaging can appeal to Middle East’s younger consumers
The Middle East’s growing younger population is driving consumption of packaged food and beverage products, with firms turning to new packaging innovations to entice this lucrative market.
The F&B growth rate in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is second only to Asia, and ahead of Europe and the Americas.
This means manufacturers are exploring new packaging solutions that can attract the attention of the younger consumer, while not compromising on quality and safety.
