"""Man is what he eats."" - Foods such as potatoes, carrots and vegetables are used to feed people, i.e. to supply them with energy and vitamins. A conscious and healthy diet is becoming increasingly important in today's society. In this context, the availability and maintenance of healthy food is a key issue. For example, many staple foods (e.g. carrots, potatoes) can only be harvested seasonally or in certain geographical regions due to climatic conditions. However, the consumer wants to have access to such goods all year round.
In order for the market to meet the demands of the final consumer, basic foodstuffs must be preserved for as long as possible i.e. natural dormancy must be delayed. Germs are not only unattractive, they also make the food unfit for consumption, which is why the formation of germs during storage must be suppressed. Preservation is achieved with the help of chemicals. All over the world, germicides are sprayed onto food after harvesting. Germ inhibitors are based on chemicals such as chlorpropham (CIPC, banned in Europe since 2019) or 1,4. dimethylnaphthalene to prevent cell division / sprouting. Studies on herbicides have shown that these agents have long-term negative health effects. Chlorpropham is suspected of being carcinogenic. It is also harmful to the environment, especially to aquatic organisms.
Our new product EcoFoil addresses the problem of the use of germination inhibitors. It is a new systematic approach to the storage of food. With a depot foil, we want to change the system of storing basic foodstuffs. The idea is based on a newly developed film that contains the active ingredient as a depot. Through air circulation, the active ingredient emerges from the depot foil in a contact-free, controlled, constant and economical manner. In addition to the contactless release of the active ingredient to the basic foodstuff, a further advantage of the process is the low effort required, as the film only has to be applied once per storage period. It remains in place until the end of the storage period and is removed on site. There is no odour nuisance, the risk potential for warehouse workers is considerably reduced and the warehouses are accessible at all times. The film is simply hung over the stored food. The use of chemicals is reduced by 95%. By partially replacing the chemicals with other natural agents such as mint or caraway oil, harmful agents can be dispensed with completely in the future. The SME Phase 1 had the goal of a feasibility study for the market launch of EcoFoil.
As a result of the feasibility analysis, an economic, political and legal feasibility of project implementation was established. In terms of organisation and resources, a number of prerequisites for broad international establishment were defined within se ma, which now must be implemented. A sales and marketing department has yet to be established within the company. The further planning of the increase in production capacity will be carried out together with a contract manufacturer in order to have the necessary resources available for a European market launch, especially in the initial phase."
