| 
Investors are needed for a Biotech StartUp in food safety ‼️
By using more modern methods than is common in the industry my process will:
▪️ reduction of plastic waste by 96 %
▪️ reduction of time between sample income and analysis result to one working day (usually 48-96 hours – depending on sample)
▪️ reduction of electricity needs by using less equipment
▪️ reduction of costs per sample
Did I get your attention? Then check out the already exisiting crowdfunding campaign:
https://gogetfunding.com/plastic-and-food-wastage-reduction-in-food-safety/
Here’s the plan in more detail:
The topic plastic waste and food wastage is not greatly discussed in the food safety industry.
In the analysis of foods for contaminations with food borne pathogens most laboratories still largely use microbiologial methods that use petri dishes. These consist of plastic that is thrown into the bin after use. In addition to this the waste is potentially infectious and is therefore infectious special waste (is collected in extra bins that are sterilized and in the end land in landfills or in the incinerator).
On top of that it takes 2-5 days untill you get an analysis result (depending on pathogen). During this time the foods are not released for sale!
Alternatives are already existing but the large-scale spreading is only proceeding very slowly.
With molecular biological or immunological methods (e.g. qPCR, ELISA, Biosensors, etc.) the plastic waste could be reduced by insane 96 % (?) as is explained in the following example calculation:
A petri dish consists of plastic and weighs approx. 40 g (varies depending on material and manufacturer). If you measure 1,000 samples, you get 40 kg of plastic waste. To make matters worse the incubated petri dish has to be sterilized (infectious special waste):
If you calculate modestly, 38 samples (96 spots minus controls, standards and replicates) can fit onto a 50 g 96-well plate (as is used in qPCR or ELISA). This results in 1.3 g per sample and 1.3 kg of plastic waste for 1,000 samples! Because DNA is detected in qPCR that is not non-infectious, there is no special infectious waste! The space requirements are also drastically reduced as the need for the many incubators is obsolete and therefore the electricity requirements are also lowered!
With this calculation alone the potential for saving is obvious! In my industry sector plastic can not be demonized entirely as it is used for something useful (food safety or in other branches for medical purposes), but I think it is absolutely reasonable to reduce the use of plastic wherever possible
The big plus of my idea is that newer methods save costs per sample and therefore are economically very attractive and viable!!
Another big advantage of newer methods lies in the considerably faster availability of analysis results and therfore the earlier release of foods. By this means the food products reach the consumer faster and the shelf life is extended by a few days. This will potentially results in less food wastage!!???
In the long run it is planned to distribute ready-made analysis kits alongside being a service provider and thereby motivate other laboratories to adapt newer methods and positively impact the enviromental footprint of the industry.
Please let me know what you think of my idea. Criticism is most welcome!
I would appreciate if you could also share this campaign with your network!
Best wishes
Max