Technology

Qi Biodesign's plant breeding innovations advance the application of gene editing in agriculture, contributing to food security and sustainable developments. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Biotechnology company, Qi Biodesign recently announced the completion of its million dollar Series A funding round to pioneer next-gen genome editing technologies

The company has raised a total of US$75mn across its Seed, Series Pre-A, and Series A stages. Qi Biodesign has already achieved significant milestones in product development, including receiving two biosafety certificates for gene-edited plants (high oleic acid soybean and powdery mildew disease-resistant wheat) by the China Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and securing an exemption for a gene-edited product (high oleic acid soybean) from the US Department of Agriculture.

More gene-edited traits including yield enhancements, herbicide tolerance and quality improvements are advancing through regulatory pipelines. Qi Biodesign's plant breeding innovations advance the application of gene editing in agriculture, contributing to food security and sustainable developments.

The newly secured funding will be used to enhance Qi Biodesign's R&D capabilities, advance its proprietary SEEDIT platform, support its product development and build commercialisation platforms to streamline and speed up the transition from research to market.

IAT Inks MoU with Aspekpir Indonesia to Enhance Quality Analysis for the Local Palm Oil Industry. (Image source: IAT)

Leading provider of professional Near-Infrared (NIR) analysis products and services, IAT (Singapore) Technology Pte. Ltd. (IAT) recently signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aspekpir Indonesia, aiming to revolutionise quality analysis in the palm oil industry

With its flagship product, the IAS-6100, IAT introduces advanced technology capable of delivering real-time data in less than two minutes, offering highly accurate assessments of oil palm fruit and its by-products. IAT offers palm oil quality detection tools to analyse various materials such as palm fruit, FFB, EFB, CPO/PKO, palm kernels, pressed fiber, and production waste.

The IAS-6100 is compact and portable, making it ideal for diverse settings, including offices, production sites, laboratories, and plantations. IAT's entry into the palm oil industry this year represents a strategic move to enhance quality testing methods, replacing traditional processes with faster and more efficient alternatives.

It employs cutting-edge technology, including a spectral engine, DMD digital micromirror scanning, and next-generation circuit boards. Features include compact design for flexibility, fast and non-destructive testing for precise data, wide applicability across multiple industries, user-friendly operation with minimal manual intervention, and environmentally friendly testing processes that eliminate the need for chemical pre-treatment. 

Traditional quality analysis in laboratories can be time-consuming, with oil content testing alone requiring 15 to 16 hours. The IAS-6100 reduces this time dramatically, delivering results in just two minutes per sample. Its multi-parameter analysis capability allows a single device to perform multiple tests without compromising sample integrity. By removing the need for chemical reagents, the device also supports green production practices and aligns with sustainability goals. 

"Before entering the oil palm sector, we conducted extensive research to determine precise testing parameters," said Edi Hariyanto, Indonesia sales manager at IAT. "With advanced research capabilities and experienced personnel, the IAS-6100 achieves an accuracy rate exceeding 95%. Regular calibration can further enhance this accuracy to 100%. The tool enables quick decision-making at the management level by delivering results in a matter of minutes." 

The software ensures precise dosing and transparently documents all steps, from small batches to complex multi-comp onent recipes. (Image source: Minebea Inc)

Leading global manufacturer of weighing and inspection technologies, Minebea Intec has launched a new recipe software to cater to the needs of companies in the food industry

ProRecipe XT helps map manual dosing processes by combining scales and software into a powerful unit, thus fulfilling the highest requirements for precision and process reliability. Moreover, it benefits not only production companies with demanding recipes but also system integrators who want to expand their portfolio with a powerful recipe management system.

From the precise weighing of ingredients to automatic documentation, ProRecipe XT eliminates errors and enables the entire process to be digitally controlled, thereby saving time and ensuring smooth flow. ProRecipe XT finds typical application in the food industry where it can be used in the production of baked goods. The baking process is quite tedious and generally involves the processing of numerous ingredients in different quantities.  

The software ensures precise dosing and transparently documents all steps, from small batches to complex multi-comp onent recipes. Thanks to the interface to existing ERP systems, order and batch data can be transferred automatically. Once dosing is complete, ProRecipe XT returns the weighing data and consumption quantities directly. This saves time, minimises input and weighing errors and ensures precise batching and an up-to-date stock overview at all times. Additionally, the software has a modular and attractively priced licensing concept that makes sensitive cost calculations easier. 

The comprehensive services - from software and weighing solutions to commissioning and qualification - come from a single source. Where necessary, Minebea Intec provides support with individual adaptations in order to offer customised solutions for specific customer requirements.

"With ProRecipe XT, we enable our customers not only to digitalise their production processes but also to make them significantly safer and more efficient," explained Lars-Henrik Bierwirth, global product manager at Minebea Intec. "Thanks to the complete traceability and precise control of all process parameters, we are setting new standards in production safety."

Water hyacinth infestations in rural ponds disrupt ecosystems, harm fisheries, and block canals. (Image source: ICRISAT)

ICRISAT's solar-powered water hyacinth harvester, designed and fabricated in-house by a team of scientists received its first grant, boosting its ability to be used with ease by rural farming communities 

The solar-powered equipment offers substantial benefits, including 50–60% savings in cost, time, and labour, while prioritising using clean energy. Being priced at under US$2,357 makes it an ideal choice for farmers who are unable to afford more expensive, sophisticated machinery. 

Water hyacinth is widely known to be a destructive weed that infests rural ponds, disrupts ecosystems, harms fisheries and blocks canals. Their ability to rapidly grow and proliferate into over 600,000 plants within 6-8 months makes them difficult to control. While chemical and biological removal of this weed is too expensive and unsustainable in the long term, manual or mechanical harvesting is seen as an option. 

The harvester was developed as part of the 'Sustainable Valorisation of Water Hyacinth Biomass through Aerobic Composting as a Rural Enterprise—A Waste to Wealth Initiative' project supported by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment, Government of Odisha, India.

Dr ML Jat, research programme director of Resilient Farm and Food Systems, ICRISAT explained that their experiments successfully demonstrated that 72,000 kg of water hyacinth can be mechanically harvested from a 1.2 ha pond in just two to three days by a team of two or three people. Manual harvesting however, required 10-20 labourers and took 18-20 days to complete. 

Additionally, women-led enterprises such as self-help groups (SHGs) can play a key role in converting biomass into compost, fish feed, or handmade paper, thereby creating significant socio-economic and environmental impacts.

“Water hyacinth infestation is a global environmental challenge. This cost-effective harvester reflects ICRISAT’s dedication to creating environment-friendly solutions tailored to the needs of rural communities that are also technologically and economically sustainable,” stated Dr Stanford Blade, director general-interim of ICRISAT, while commending the team behind the mechanical harvester.