We’ve dealt extensively with food wastage in previous posts and how, globally, we waste 2.9 trillion pounds of food a year; and how, if food waste were a country, it would be the 3rd largest producer of greenhouse gasses in the world after China and the US. By 2050 it is estimated we will need to feed around 2.3 billion more people and if so much food is lost to spoilage, the need to find a way of extending the shelf life of harvested produce to reduce waste, becomes imperative.
Imagine if we can find a way to do that, and imagine if that solution is organic in nature, so that not only are we able to feed more people, but we’re also able to do so in a way that won’t add to the greenhouse effect. Apeel Sciences imagined all that – their mission is to use natural plant-based technologies to protect crops and harvested produce, helping to eliminate food spoilage and reduce reliance on chemicals. And with interested parties like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation involved, they are well on their way to making it happen.
Apeel Sciences focus on two main product developments: Edipeel and Invisipeel.
Edipeel is postharvest protection for organic growers, in theory it’s a micro-thin, invisible peel made from plant material that protects the delicate surface of fruit, reducing oxidation and water loss thereby extending the shelf life of produce. They do this by taking the edible oils (natural lipids and glycerolipids) from the unused parts of plants – the parts we don’t eat – and recycling them to create a natural formula that they can use to protect food crops so that they remain fresher for longer. Clear, odourless and tasteless; the natural protective formulas are completely undetectable and perfectly safe to eat. Edipeel has already been successfully tested with organic growers and has been used commercially since the beginning of 2017.
Invisipeel on the other hand is preharvest protection that is pesticide-free, using a concept known as molecular camouflage. In essence, what happens is that bacteria, fungi and insects all identify food sources by recognising specific molecules on produce surfaces, Invisipeel ‘cloaks’ the surface with a micro-thin layer of extracted plant material convincing the fungi and insects that it’s not edible – how amazing is that?! The Invisipeel formula is still in the R&D stage and will be available once all the field and commercial trials are successfully completed.
While we all know how dire the food situation may be in years to come, what with Earth’s exploding population and dwindling natural resources exacerbating matters; it’s heartening to think that there are people (geniuses really) out there constantly working on positive solutions that will protect our food sources and planet for generations to come.
