Tag: Food

In Africa, group buying is making fresh produce more affordable. Meanwhile, a new startup in Germany is aiming to provide warm meals to those in financial need, while simultaneously reducing food waste in canteens. Students or those on a tight budget register on the app. After vetting, they can request food each day from a nearby canteen for a...

Wasabi supports memory and chilli has anti-inflammatory properties. Now a research team in Japan is taking a closer look at cardamom seeds. In a study with human lung cells and a simulated viral infection, they established that an extract made with hot water could have antiviral effects. The bioactive component in the cardamom extract, known as 1.8 cineole, activates...

Wastewater from soybean production can provide fodder for fish. Meantime, a university research team from the US has been experimenting with wastewater from beer and potato production, as the sodium acetate it contains is a carbon compound offering a low-cost alternative to glucose. Like glucose, it can be a carbon source for the protein-rich microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana. The team...

Waste from wine production can be put to good use. But wine left in opened bottles is generally discarded after 3 days because of oxidation or loss of quality. That's $1.5 billion dollars of wine wasted each year in America alone. Enter a female founder and her startup's patented new solution. Her innovation comprises a silicon stopper lid and...

Chickpeas are a readymade replacement for coffee. Coffee grounds, meanwhile, can be used for sustainable building projects. A Warsaw-based startup identified the waste product’s potential for the circular economy and developed a patented technology to extract valuable resources from it. Initial attempts a few years ago were certainly helpful. The team’s latest system is set up so that coffee-industry...

Coffee grounds can be made into spectacle frames. Coffee itself, meanwhile, is having a hard time due to climate change. Which is why a Belgian startup has developed a coffee alternative made from chickpeas. These are first fermented in an organic and patented process. The secret lies in the use of multiple microbial strains under different conditions, and in...

Mini-robots could rid the ocean of microplastics. In Switzerland, a research team is turning to similar technology to analyse water quality, though the outer shell of its mini-robots is made from protein-rich, low-fat fish food. For movement, inspiration came from the so-called Marangoni effect: the robots move across the surface of the water by expelling gas. It is created internally...

Some skateboard wheels rid the streets of used bubble gums. Now an international research team from Finland and the USA has established how chewing gum could help to combat viruses. Their choice of arms? The hyacinth beans. These fruits have been eaten in countries such as Kenya for a long time and also contain a protein that neutralises viruses....