A startup in the food sector has developed a technology to preserve perishable foods without the need for a fridge. How long? Months beyond their expected decay. Ah! And without the use of artificial preservatives.
Farther Farms, this is the name of the company, says it is ready to tackle the millions of tons of food waste around the world. Such technology also has the potential to transform agriculture in developing countries, where reefer containers and refrigerated convoys are rare and/or expensive.
Foods that last longer, a blessing
Have you ever wondered why we no longer dedicate land cultivated to fruit and vegetables instead of cereals? The reason is the spoilage of food. A problem that means tens and tens of billions of euros thrown every year around the world.
Imagine that for every harvest a clock starts ticking. A race against time begins, until oxidation and bacteria destroy everything. The CO2 pasteurization technology developed by Farther Farms is a simple solution that can extend the shelf life of packaged foods at room temperature over 90 days.
First test: french fries
The startup's first demonstration involved simple French fries. A food that would normally have to be refrigerated to survive the journeys between production plants and supermarkets. French fries certainly cannot be pasteurized like other products, as the steam would reduce them to a pulp.
Farther Farms puts them in special packaging filled with CO2 in a so-called "super critical”, Preventing oxidation damage and knocking out bacteria.
The frozen supply chain
Raised in India in a farming family, the co-founder Vipul Saran developed Farther Farms as a student at Cornell University. His familiarity with the costs and difficulties of transporting agricultural products spurred him to develop this technology.
The whole goal was to look at new food processing technologies to create value-added food products from these perishable food products. New foods that avoid dependence on the fridge and freezer as much as possible.
Vipul Saran
He's right. Rather than packing apples or potatoes in a plastic bag, Farther Farms technology is ideal for value-added food products. Not only because they need some kind of packaging, but also because they make farmers more money (for example by turning tomatoes into sauces).
Rather than transporting food via refrigerated trucks or shipping containers, expensive and limited methods, Farther Farms would allow farmers to bypass the cold chain, and ship at any temperature, thus allowing food producers of all kinds to reach more markets.
Goodbye fridge, welcome to the market. And not only.
The “anti-fridge” technology of the Saran startup also has a “housewife” vocation. Even at home, the management of meals is difficult: yes, there is a fridge available, but some foods don't even keep in the fridge for 90 days. And with so many freezer bags you can also go crazy (at least I go crazy).
