Israeli innovations in the food industry: the products that will reduce environmental pollution

On the way to crops without pests – and without chemicals

The carrier material of Platypus is made of natural ingredients, and can be integrated into thousands of active pesticides of different types, while extending the effectiveness of the active ingredient of biological pesticides from a few months to a year. The groundbreaking development won the Bernard Blum Award for Innovation in Biological Control from IBMA at the ABIM conference in Basel, Switzerland, as a product that helps promote the adoption of biological solutions in agriculture. Platypus is currently marketed to several pest control companies in Israel and abroad and is in the midst of a first round of recruitment in preparation for expanding operations in global markets.

Production lines that do not need to go through traditional cleaning – is there such a thing?

You prepare a salad, marinade for meat or batter for a cake – and after each use of the bowl or mixer you have to clean everything before the next round. Now imagine the same challenge, only on the scale of an industrial plant. After every food production, the production lines, the various tools and containers are required to go through a complete cleaning that includes water, detergents, downtime and personnel. The Israeli startup Kiinns presents a completely new approach: eliminating the need for cleaning at all.

The company also develops smart robotic systems that perform the application and removal of the coating automatically, as part of a complete solution for industrial production lines. Along with the food industry, the technology is also intended for other industries where cleaning production lines is a big challenge, including the pharmaceutical industry (pharma), cosmetics, plastic production, chemical industry and more. After successful pilots in Israel and Europe, Kiinns received its first commercial order, with estimated savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year per customer.

The naked packaging – the company that hides food packaging

The NakedPak company has developed edible food packaging that melts during cooking – and thus disappears, leaving nothing behind. The packaging is based on algae and edible materials, and does not affect the taste of the dish. The packaging material behaves like plastic – suitable for existing packaging machines and protects the packaged food. And what about hygiene? Just like a tomato, cucumber or pepper – the packaging can be washed with water (and soap) to clean it before cooking. The company is currently launching its first product in the United States – a meal for travelers that is lightweight and waste-free, and is also in development processes for armies around the world.

Don’t want the strawberries to spoil? Stick a sticker

The Israeli deep-tech company LiVA Bio has developed a technology that aims to help fruits and vegetables “protect themselves” better – without chemicals and without the addition of bacteria. Instead of adding external substances, the company’s sticker releases gentle substances that nourish the fruit’s natural mechanisms, thus strengthening its ability to deal with humidity, temperature changes and mold. In simple words: instead of “preserving” the fruit from the outside – they help it stay fresh from the inside.

The result is an extension of the shelf life, a better preservation of the taste and texture, and a reduction of up to 20% in food waste during the stages of storage in the supermarket, on display in supermarkets and in the refrigerator at home. In addition, the solution integrates with existing packaging and does not change the consumption experience, which facilitates the process of wide adoption in the industry.