With a mission to reduce food waste

“The recruitment of a PhD student to the project is in progress. The project aims to develop a new living material in which yeast can produce substances that prevent mold fungi from spoiling harvested fruits and vegetables. By incorporating the material into packaging, it can be used to reduce the huge amount of fruit and vegetables that are thrown away very year, thus contributing to the development of a more resource-efficient and sustainable food system,” says Cecilia Geijer.

Households account for the largest share

According to the UN's Agenda 2030, global food waste needs to be halved by 2030. Edible food and drink that is thrown away accounts for 8 to 10 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Food waste occurs throughout the food chain, but households account for the largest share, which is also an economic cost to the consumer. Every year we throw away about 15 kilograms of edible food per person in Sweden.

"LiMiT - Living Materials to prevenT spoilage of harvested fruits and vegetables" is the name of the project that Formas has now granted SEK 6,000,000.

Living materials new field of research

To succeed in developing such a new, living material that inhibits the growth of molds, the researchers must first create a better understanding of how the yeast works and how it interacts with the material and the molds.

"Several yeast species can effectively stop the growth of molds, but knowledge of this phenomenon is severely limited and the application possibilities are still largely unexplored. We will investigate how different yeasts inhibit molds, identify which substances they produce and how we can best create a sustainable and safe material that promotes the production of these substances by the yeast," says Cecilia Geijer.

The researchers will also 3D print material prototypes and test their effect on fruit and vegetables stored together with molds in closed packaging.
"Living materials is a relatively new research field with huge potential, and the current and future demand for sustainable methods to inhibit molds is enormous," says Cecilia Geijer.

One of society's major challenges

The project team includes experts in microbiology at Chalmers University of Technology, material and food science at Aalto University and RISE, and food safety and industrial aspects at Axfoundation.
“This enables an interdisciplinary and innovative approach to solving one of society's major challenges - reducing food waste”.

There are many reasons to try to inhibit mold growth on harvested fruits and vegetables. As much as 60 percent of the fruit and vegetables produced are thrown away, which is the most of any type of food.

Cecilia Geijer says that food waste is problematic in several ways:
"It is a nutritional problem, as the world's population is growing and we would benefit from more fruit and vegetables ending up in the stomach instead of in the bin. It is an economic problem, as discarded products mean lost income for growers and traders. Ultimately, it is also an environmental problem, as we waste land, water, fertilizers, chemicals, energy and labour to produce what is not eaten. Production also leads to significant greenhouse gas emissions that accelerate the warming of our planet."
"In the long term, the project's results are expected to lead to new smart packaging that sustainably and safely increases the lifespan of fruit and vegetables, which in turn leads to reduced food waste and reduced environmental impact of the food system, both in Sweden and internationally," says Cecilia Geijer.

Related:

Formas: In the belly, not the bin – actions to reduce food waste
Geijer Group
PhD student position in Biotechnology and Living materials
2030 Agenda