Sustainable Living: Health and Well-being

Only 20% of actual coffee is extracted from beans to produce coffee in its beverage form, leaving the remaining 80% (six million tons annually) deemed as spent coffee grounds (SCG) to be disposed or used in landfills or as non-food product components to make fertilisers, furniture, deodorisers or skin care products. A technology was created to counteract SCG wastage and valorise it for human consumption. This particular invention comprises of methodologies to create two types of ingredients using leftover SCG - oil-grind and water-grind processed SCG. A simple, reproducible method of conching is employed to convert leftover SCG into smooth pastes, where specific conching parameters help refine the SCG to an acceptable particle size, eliminating grittiness in numerous valorised products similar to SCG. The product utilises common ingredients like oil and water to conche SCG with improved taste and textural properties. The shelf stability and nutritional composition (including caffeine) of the ingredients were also validated to ensure the food possessed good sensorial properties and are scale up ready. This technology increases SCG’s potential use as a versatile ingredient in different food applications. The technology provider is seeking off-takers from food manufacturers, food services industry, companies interested to valorise side streams to turn SCG into edible compounds.

The increasing emphasis on fire safety regulations and standards, along with the growing awareness of the potential hazards posed by fires, has driven the demand for flame-retardant coatings. These coatings play important roles in fire protection by effectively slowing down the spreading of fires, thereby preventing catastrophic accidents, safeguarding assets, and saving lives. Industry segments such as electronics, automotive, aerospace, construction, and household, which extensively utilise materials prone to fire hazards, require effective fire protection solutions. As the demand for flame retardant coatings continues to rise across various sectors, the market is experiencing significant growth. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global flame retardants market is expected to be worth USD 9.5 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2%. Particularly, the Asia Pacific region is the fastest-growing market.   Traditional flame retardants, especially those containing brominate or chlorine, have been associated with their impacts on the environment and human health. Consequently, the demand for environmentally friendly coating solutions, such as nanocomposites and natural bio-based retardants, is growing at a rapid pace. However, the performance, efficiency, environmental impact, and cost-effectiveness of these alternative materials are still hot topics of ongoing research. This tech need calls for non-toxic and innovative flame-retardant coatings capable of addressing the above challenges. Such coating solutions should be available for test-bedding, licensing, and co-development with industrial partners, paving the way for safer and more sustainable fire protection methods.

Issues associated with odor generation present significant challenges in various aspects of daily life, encompassing unpleasant smells from various sources such as toilets, kitchens, pets, tobacco, hospitals, and transportation. These unwanted odors have a detrimental impact on individual well-being, social interactions, and overall environmental quality. Deodorants play a crucial role in addressing these challenges, fostering a more comfortable and hygiene environment. However, conventional deodorants primarily rely on masking the unwanted odors with a strong fragrance, resulting in a slow and ineffective deodorization process, particularly against strong smells. The technology owner has developed a proprietary formulation that offers an effective deodorization approach. Unlike common deodorants, the unique deodorant using the proprietary formulation can remove the sources of unpleasant smells through chemical reactions. It demonstrates remarkable efficiency against a broad spectrum of odors, including those from rotting fish and meat, rotting eggs and milk, rotting vegetable waste, ammonia in toilets, sweat, and body odor. This innovative solution has the potential to revolutionise odor control across diverse scenarios. The technology owner is seeking R&D collaboration with industrial partners who are interested in incorporating this deodorant into their products and applications.

Fragrance and deodorising sprays for home care, fabric care and pet care applications often suffer from inconsistent and shortlived performance. This Nano Delivery Technology encapsulates fragrances, essential oils and other odourous compounds into nano sized biodegradable capsules that can anchor themselves efficiently to fibres and hairs, while regulating the release of the encapsulated compounds over prolonged time periods. The encapsulation process takes place at room temperatures, using low energy methods, that preserves the integrity of the actives. The technology is designed as a ready-to-use adjuvant allowing manufacturers to nano encapsulate the actives independently and easily using their existing process and production equipments. 

This technology delivers physical climate risk analytics for any asset or portfolio. It combines climate hazard with consequence models, offering richer insights than typical climate risk screening tools. Outputs detail financial repercussions from damages, projected downtime, portfolio risk correlation, increased climate-induced risks, and various other actionable risk metrics. The technology has global coverage, uses high-resolution input data (30x30m), validated computations, and proper uncertainty quantification. Models integrate climate dynamics, providing these same risk metrics for future climate. Stochastic event simulations underpin all the models, which uniquely enables the computation of climate risk correlation across portfolios.

To address the challenges in chewing and swallowing faced by the elderly and other special care groups such as stroke patients, researchers from a Thai university have developed ready-to-eat wholemeal purees that serve as an all-in-one meal support. Suitable for those on an IDDSI Level 4 diet, it is designed as a healthy, special care food to provide high nutritional values and energy and to aid health rehabilitation and recovery. In addition to patients with dysphagia, this puree is also suitable for health-conscious consumers.  The team is seeking partners to bring the product to commercialisation and obtain certification according to global standards. They are also open to further develop and customise new products.

Probiotic bacteria play a pivotal role in stimulating T cell-dependent immune responses, offering protection against bacterial infections, and addressing various gut-related conditions resulting in the healthy gut health. This technology features specially designed formulations using meticulously selected microbial probiotic strains with exceptional attributes and natural bioactive compounds with prebiotic and functional properties to enhance gut health and bolster immune support. In particular, the formulations feature a functional, prebiotic ingredient that promotes beneficial gut bacteria and prepared from mulberry through a patent-pending process.  With a team of specialists capable of customising probiotic functions to specific needs, they are able to select, isolate and culture advanced probiotic strains, as well as conduct pharmacological activities for functional claims. Depending on customers’ needs, e.g. facilitating growth of gut beneficial microorganisms, prevent infections, or reduce inflammation in the digestive system, the team can customise the blend of ingredients. 

Within one’s body, approximately 100 trillion microorganisms, mainly bacteria, coexist. Surprisingly, these microorganisms outnumber the number of cells in the body by a staggering 300-fold. These tiny inhabitants play a crucial role, producing both beneficial and harmful metabolites that your body cannot generate. Essentially, they function as a concealed vital organ within you. Research indicates that the majority of these microorganisms, about 95%, reside in your gut, where they exert a significant influence on approximately 70% of your immune system and are closely linked to the development of 90% of non-communicable diseases. Consequently, the gut microbiome stands as one of the most remarkable scientific discoveries of the past decade. Unlocking the secrets of one's unique gut microbiome composition holds a key to health monitoring, predicting medication effectiveness, and tailoring treatments. Notably, the gut microbiome closely correlates with dietary and lifestyle choices and can be modulated to prevent health issues rather than merely correcting them. However, the lack of comprehensive knowledge and databases in Southeast Asia represents a significant gap in this field. Bridging this gap promises to yield invaluable insights and drive future healthcare breakthroughs.

Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally, responsible for 74% of deaths worldwide. It is predicted that, by 2060, total deaths of NCDs per capita will increase by 52%, while those of communicable diseases decline. However, more than half of the deaths are preventable with lifestyle adjustments. Personalised healthcare and wellness have the potential to help people live longer, healthier lives, and to reduce the burden of chronic diseases. As technology advances, drawing connections between genetic data and personal insights is becoming more  prevalent. The use of genetic data ranges from lifestyle change and intervention to disease prevention. This Thai startup offers a biointelligence platform, founded to equip health professionals with comprehensive genetic information regarding patients’ or users’ predisposition to serious disease risks, which could be prevented or detected earlier. Together with an enabler platform for personalised health and wellness journey, they are able to provide tailored solutions for improved health and wellness, starting with the use of genetic data. The technology owner is seeking partners in Singapore, such as supplement manufacturers, wellness clinics, and wellness tourism, to co-develop personalised solutions that integrate the use of genetic data to help people live longer and healthier lives.