Concept Phase Teams
Bluestreambio
Addressing waste in the fishing industry – alternative uses of fish blood
Bluestreambio
Addressing waste in the fishing industry – alternative uses of fish blood
Challenge In 2021, in excess of 3.5 million tonnes of fish blood will be produced by the global fisheries and aquaculture industry. While fish blood is rich in valuable macromolecules and nutrients there is currently no scalable way of extracting these constituents which leads to significant waste and resource consumption.
Solution Create a scalable solution to extract valuable macromolecules from fish blood to create biopolymer composites to replace plastic.
UN SDG Alignment GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Team Graham O'Neill (TU Dublin), Paula Bourke (UCD), Nadine Bonner (Irish Fish Canners)
Eye-Q
Reducing premature spoilage of fruit and vegetables in global supply chains
Eye-Q
Reducing premature spoilage of fruit and vegetables in global supply chains
Challenge Premature spoilage due to supply chain inefficiencies is a major cause of commercial food waste and accounts for between 20% and 50% of all fruit and vegetables being lost/wasted. Addressing supply chain inefficiencies is key to addressing food loss/waste and will require a revolutionary transformation of the current commercial supply management systems.
Solution Working with stakeholders to enhance global supply chain efficiency by developing a disruptive cyberphysical platform that combines optical sensing and artificial intelligence (deep learning) technologies to accurately predict food spoilage and remaining shelf-life.
UN SDG Alignment GOAL 2: Zero Hunger; GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Team Ultan McCarthy (WIT), Anastasia Ktenioudaki (UCD), Jean-Pierre Emond (The Illuminate Group LLC)
Leaf No Waste
Extending the shelf-life and reducing waste of salad leaves
Leaf No Waste
Extending the shelf-life and reducing waste of salad leaves
Challenge It is estimated that up to 50% of salad leaves purchased by consumers go to waste. This waste represents significant costs for consumers, retailers and growers; and gives rise to considerable negative environmental impact. To reduce this waste and to ensure sustainable production for Irish growers, cost-effective approaches that build resilience into the supply chain must be explored.
Solution Develop innovative methods of incorporating silicon into the production cycle of fresh salad leaves to extend their shelf life while maintaining quality when packaged thus reducing waste.
UN SDG Alignment GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Team Lorraine Foley (TU Dublin), Jesus Frias (TU Dublin), Karen O'Donohoe (Grow It Yourself)
Solarbiome
Addressing undernutrition and promoting healthy aging through optimisation of diet
Solarbiome
Addressing undernutrition and promoting healthy aging through optimisation of diet
Challenge For older people, buying quantities of fresh food can lead to food waste which discourages them achieving nutritional and health goals. Furthermore, undernutrition (the insufficient intake of energy and nutrients to meet an individual's needs to maintain good health) in older people is a serious condition that contributes to poor quality of life, frailty and health loss. As the world’s population ages, undernutrition will become a significant global health issue if not addressed.
Solution Develop a novel minimally processed food product that will combine key ingredients of the Mediterranean Diet that sustain gut microbes that promote health. This product will support optimised nutritional intake and overcome a number of current challenges in addressing undernutrition in the elderly.
UN SDG Alignment GOAL 2: Zero Hunger; GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being; GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Team Paul O'Toole (UCC), Elke Arendt (UCC), Suzanne Timmons (HSE)
WAVA
Valorising food WAste into VAlue added commodities
WAVA
Valorising food WAste into VAlue added commodities
Challenge Food waste valorisation is an important goal of sustainable development. In Ireland, 4.2 million tonnes of food-waste is generated annually with the food-processing sector accounting for 19% of this total producing 36,900 tonnes of fruit and 758,650 tonnes of vegetable waste each year. This food waste represents a valuable untapped source of commercially important compounds (e.g., fatty acids) that can be used for a range of applications.
Solution Develop a disruptive anaerobic digestion technology that will transform organic food waste, destined for landfill, into nutrient-rich foods, ingredients, clean energy and balanced fertiliser thus providing a unique zero-waste circular bioeconomy solution.
UN SDG Alignment GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Team Sushanta Kumar Saha (LIT), Ajay Menon (UCD), Adam Lord (Food Surplus Management Ltd)