TECH NEEDS

A spent hen is a commercial layer chicken that has over peaked its optimal egg-laying potential. When hens reached the end of their economically viable life, they are usually converted into meat products. However, the meat has a high amounts of heat-stable collagen content, leading to a tough texture, and high insoluble protein and tissues that are difficult to process by conventional heat treatment. The company is keen to explore different technological solutions that can tenderise the meat, with minimal nutrient loss and a short production time of less than 1 hour.

As well as creating new well-being snacks, we also focus on improving the nutrition and ingredients of the global brands and local jewels already in our broad portfolio. In essence, this is about reducing or removing what people don’t want and adding more of what they do. Snacking has always had a role in people’s lives, but that role is expanding and evolving as they become busier than ever (at home or on the go), as the definition of snacking continues to expand, and as people become more conscious of the overall well-being of self and planet. Moreover, people increasingly want to feel good about the snacks they eat – knowing that they not only taste delicious but also mindful of the implications to mind, body, and planet. We want to help consumers easily enjoy the right snacks throughout their day and inspire them to snack mindfully so they can savor and feel good about each and every snack. As a part of this effort, we are always looking for ingredient solutions that consumers expect, understand and are familiar with; that are authentic, natural and minimally processed; and are free from additives or preservatives.

Good agricultural practices form part of the armoury against pests and diseases which reduce yield losses by promoting healthy crop growth and improved tolerance of stress including attack from pest and diseases. For example, optimising the soil microbiome has been shown to increase the nitrogen fixing capability of microbes found in the root system of some crop species. There are also other natural approaches currently available that can successfully control diseases and pests. For example, endophytic Trichoderma martiale strain ALF 247 is used to control black-pod rot in cocoa, although in many cases further development is required to provide economically viable methods for biocontrol at scale. Another example of a natural approach that has been successfully brought to market is the production of peanuts with a reduced level of aflatoxin through the application of a competitive strain of A. flavus. This strain is not capable of making the aflatoxin and out-competes the toxin-producing strains naturally present, thereby lowering levels to 3% of what it would otherwise be in shelled, edible-grade peanuts. In many cases, it is thought that this natural pesticide has sufficient efficacy but with the added advantage of much lower levels of detrimental side effects compared to the standard synthetic chemicals. Chemical fertilisers, particularly nitrogen, are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions both in the production phase and on-farm. To sustainably increase yield, there is a need to improve efficiencies of nutrient use, reduce losses and ideally identify low carbon nutrient sources. The company is seeking sustainable methods that can reduce the amount of agrochemicals being used, and/or its environmental impact.

The company is looking for clean label, plant-based ingredients with authentic credentials on taste, texture and appearance (for example - fruit and vegetables, grains and seeds legumes, beans, roots, super fruits). They believed that plant-based ingredient has huge opportunities to be unlocked from nature’s pure, goodness that can give pleasureable taste and maximum health value.  We are interested in Ingredients that are plant-based or plant-derived, or sustainable and/ or are upcycled & have a positive impact on the environment Technologies that help preserve the wholesome, natural benefits of these ingredients

The company offers a broad range of delicious, high-quality snacks – from indulgent bites to wholesome bars. This is to ensure their variety offered keeps satisfying the diverse needs of millions of consumers around the world. In recent years, more emphasis has been placed on well-being, which involves a broader, more holistic approach on one's emotional and functional needs. Therefore the need need for continuous innovation, renovation and extension of their range of snacks to satisfy consumers’ current and changing well-being needs. They are keen to explore new ingredient technologies across different wellbeing dimensions that can contribute to the overall physical and mental health of their consumers. Ingredients that can support fortification, functionality or positive nutritional benefits are of interest.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in an ever-increasing range of applications from consumer devices to electric cars, with research focusing until now on innovations around the cathode, anode and electrolyte materials used. As the rate of improvement in energy density begins to slow from these innovations, many research efforts are focusing on next generation battery technologies as a potential route for improved performance and cost, but many of these have a lengthy development trajectory or are exclusively focused on the growing electric vehicle market. However, whilst many manufacturers choose to keep their manufacturing processes as secret know-how, improvements in the various stages of battery cell manufacturing may also provide considerable improvements to battery characteristics, subsequent performance and their CSR (corporate social responsibility) credentials, with potentially faster speed to market. The technology seeker is an established manufacturer of consumer devices, many of which rely on lithium-ion batteries (LIB) for power generation. They are continually searching for improvements in the performance of battery components for current and future products, and actively engage with research and commercial partners to achieve this. The technology seeker is also a major user of LIB and has excellent relationships with their suppliers, working with them to introduce new innovations, in addition to working with other partners in the battery manufacturing sector (alternative materials, next generation batteries, etc). This provides an excellent opportunity for companies and/or research organisations to accelerate a technology’s commercialisation via established manufacturers and end users. The technology seeker will consider all forms of collaboration to access battery improvements, including supplier relationships, joint development, licensing, investment, acquisition, etc.

The key requirement is to meet consumer expectations for taste and texture in sugar reduced snacks with (ideally) natural ingredients.​ ​ What we are looking for are natural alternatives to substitute sugar (including sweetening systems as sugar/hybrid sugar + artificial high intensity), to create an end product as close as possible to the sensorial profile and functionality of the standard product made with sugar.

In a bakery, rejected yeasted doughs known as bakery waste are a common sight. These dough are rejected due to poor/over moulding/shaping, overweight or underweight and unused sides of the dough. The company has optimised the operation processes to reduce overall wastage but unable to achieve zero waste.  The company is looking for solution or technology which can upcycle these doughs into other products (edible/non edible) that has high value than animal feed. The doughs come in both raw and steamed form.

This company is an established electronic device manufacturer for the consumer market. They are continually looking to improve the performance of their products and have identified graphene as a material with several attractive properties that could be beneficial as a heating surface. Graphene is being investigated for use in multiple industries; however, commercial production can still be problematic with potential issues in quality (i.e., reproducibility in material thickness) and difficulties in scaling up production for large volume applications. The client believes graphene could facilitate rapid heat up and even heat distribution and is therefore actively searching for partners who can help to develop graphene-based materials for use in heating applications. The company is actively searching for partners to support their product development efforts. They have an established customer base and global operations that provide routes to market for both new and established companies. The company can provide resources to scale up relevant processes and technologies, including financial investment and joint development. The client is interested in potential collaboration with groups looking to commercialise relevant technologies and companies who will consider a variety of collaborations, ranging from licensing through to joint venture and acquisition.