fbpx
Print this page
Friday, 22 March 2019 09:25

Less milk wasted

Written by  Nigel Malthus
Matt Jones, of Christchurch company CertusBio, with the pitch tent winner’s certificate at the inaugural EvokeAg event in Melbourne in February. Image: SUPPLIED. Matt Jones, of Christchurch company CertusBio, with the pitch tent winner’s certificate at the inaugural EvokeAg event in Melbourne in February. Image: SUPPLIED.

A Christchurch start-up has been recognised at a major Australian agricultural technology event for its technology aimed at minimising waste in the food processing industry.

CertusBio has been formed to commercialise technology developed by Lincoln Agritech Ltd, which uses a biosensor device to monitor parameters such as fat and lactose content in industrial food processing wastewater. Operators can then make necessary adjustments in real time to minimise wastage and reduce the environmental load of wastewater.

CertusBio chief executive Matt Jones says with 2-3% of all processed milk disappearing down the drain, the dairy industry globally loses NZ$12.8 billion per year in processing waste.

The system has been shown to reduce processing waste by 40%.

“CertusBio is transforming industrial food production to prevent this type of waste,” he claims. “Our solution saves money for processors and helps them meet their social responsibility to safeguard the environment for future generations.”

Jones described the system as “like an automated laboratory on a chip.”

“The solution can be installed without interruption to existing processes,” he says. “Other companies have been in the market a long time, but do not provide accurate enough information to prevent this type of food waste.”

Jones recently presented the system at the inaugural EvokeAg event in Melbourne, said to be Australia’s largest agricultural technology event with 1100 delegates sharing technologies including sensors, artificial intelligence, robotics and automation. 

The company won a cash prize of $20,000 in the Investment Ready category of a Pitch Tent competition at the event, in which innovators were invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of expert venture-capitalist judges. 

The system, called Milk-Guard, has already been installed at several New Zealand dairy processing plants. The company also offers a similar system called Aeration-Guard tailored to monitoring wastewater treatment plants. 

Jones says he developed CertusBio to combine two of his great passions – the reduction of waste and the development of great science.

He is now seeking $2 million to develop the company further and met with a number of potential Australian and international investors at the event.

“I’m looking for investors who care about reducing waste using validated technology in the food processing industry.”

 

More like this

A glimmer of hope for NZ strong wool?

A Lincoln-based wool products company believes it offers a glimmer of hope against the increasing negativity currently saturating New Zealand’s strong wool industry.

Energy farm to trial zero carbon solutions

Lincoln University has unveiled plans for what is expected to be a globally-unique Energy Demonstration Farm to help the primary sector meet its future zero-carbon obligations.

Featured

Sheep drench resistance costly

Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

National

Knowing bugs means fewer drugs

A mastitis management company claims to deliver the fastest and most accurate mastitis testing available at scale for New Zealand…

Machinery & Products

AGTEK and ARGO part ways

After 12 years of representing the Landini and McCormick brands in New Zealand, Bay of Plenty-based AGTEK and the brands’…

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…

JD unveils its latest beast

John Deere has unveiled its most powerful tractor ever, with the launch of the all new 9RX Series Tractor line-up…

Biggest Quadtrac coming to NZ!

In the biggest announcement that Case IH Australia/New Zealand has made around its tractor range, its biggest tractor is about…