Novozymes and AgroFresh collaborate to unlock the potential of biotechnology to improve post-harvest quality and reduce food waste.
Raleigh, United States – June 15, 2022 – Novozymes, a leading biotechnology company, and AgroFresh, a global leader in post-harvest solutions, have entered into a research and commercialization collaboration to develop biological solutions that can improve post-harvest food quality and minimize waste by combating fungal pathogens. The resulting products, which will be developed for post-harvest applications, will benefit growers, retailers and consumers, as well as the environment.
“This is a very exciting venture into an innovative area for Novozymes, with the intention of meeting the growing consumer demand for fruits and vegetables with less food waste and less impact on the environment,” says Thomas Stenfeldt Batchelor, Vice President Marketing and Agricultural Strategy. “With great synergies, including Novozymes’ expertise in pioneering bioinnovation, AgroFresh’s R&D capabilities and its application know-how, we will explore the development of viable and sustainable post-harvest solutions to mitigate also significant supply chain issues.”
“AgroFresh and Novozymes share very similar missions around sustainability and introducing differentiated technologies to address unmet needs across the food chain,” said Duncan Aust, Chief Technology Officer at AgroFresh. “We are delighted to partner with Novozymes to pioneer the use of biological solutions in the post-harvest sector, to reduce food loss and waste and help improve the quality of our overall food system.”
Around one-third of the food produced is lost or wasted before it reaches the consumer, with fruits and vegetables accounting for more than half of this amount. As soon as crops are harvested and removed from their environment, they begin to lose quality and eventually deteriorate. Fresh crops such as fruits, vegetables and flowers are particularly vulnerable to microbial attack and subsequent losses during this post-harvest phase, which includes cooling, cleaning, sorting and packaging the crop.
Perfect synergies
Novozymes and AgroFresh anticipate that the development of new bioproducts will be accelerated by the combination of Novozymes' advanced biotechnologies and AgroFresh's deep scientific expertise in postharvest solutions, its global commercial footprint and its unrivaled portfolio of integrated solutions that help maintain the freshness and quality of fruits, vegetables and flowers..
Potential to meet growing challenges
With increasing demands on the global agricultural industry from consumer, economic and environmental perspectives, collaboration has the potential to create new sustainable products.
“Partnering with AgroFresh gives us the opportunity to expand our BioAg offering in the post-harvest sector at a time when fruit and vegetable growers are facing some of the toughest challenges in their history,” adds Thomas Stenfeldt Batchelor of Novozymes.
“We are excited to combine the unique industry knowledge, technology and scientific expertise provided by both organizations in developing novel and sustainable solutions for the control of post-harvest fungal rot in fruits, vegetables and flowers, with the shared goal of minimizing food loss, improving quality and increasing the overall sustainable footprint of the industries we collectively serve,” concludes Duncan Aust of AgroFresh..
Collaboration facts:
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About Novozymes
Novozymes is the world leader in biological solutions. Together with customers, partners and the global community, we improve industrial performance while preserving the planet's resources and helping to build a better life. As the world's largest provider of enzyme and microbial technologies, our bioinnovation enables higher agricultural yields, low-temperature washing, energy-efficient production, renewable fuel and many other benefits that we rely on today and in the future. We call it Rethink Tomorrow. www.novozymes.com
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