Extending shelf life with food science and technology

Product customisation is not a new concept for many industries, but the true challenge comes with designing and developing products that serve the real needs of today’s consumers. Modern-day consumers desire greater convenience and customisation in the products they purchase. They want products that deliver an enjoyable experience that seamlessly integrates into their lifestyles and routines.

Scaling up food solutions for growth

With expert advice from IPI Innovation Advisor Dr Ong Mei Horng, HarriAnns Nonya Table found innovative ways to enhance its heritage food product portfolio and strengthen its market position during the challenging pandemic period.

Generating value through innovation
Amid one of the worst downturns in aviation history, IPI Innovation Advisor Derek Sharples helped CW Aero Services to implement new business strategies, restructure internal processes and emerge stronger.

As borders closed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in 2020, the aviation industry saw one of its worst years yet. Global passenger traffic plunged by 66 percent and demand for air cargo slumped, with airlines from the Asia-Pacific region harder hit compared with their Western counterparts.

David Tan and his team mulled over their revenue for the first quarter of 2020, the lowest in their more than 45 years of business, through a virtual meeting at the start of Singapore’s circuit breaker in April. It seemed like there was no end in sight for the raging COVID-19 pandemic in both local and overseas markets as food operations slowed down tremendously, recalled Par International Holdings’ CEO.

With the aim to salvage fallen trees in Singapore and transform them into sustainable products that are valuable, local woodworking and carpentry firm, Roger&Sons kickstarted the Local Tree Project in 2019.

The family-run woodworking business is committed to utilising local raw materials to create bespoke furniture and other wooden objects, but the management and handling of tropical trees in Singapore was not well-established. The existing technologies available to utilise these local trees and the machinery required to process them are still not fully optimised.

Manufacturing costs can be reduced by new intelligent systems. A first-of-its-kind software for such uses has been developed by LeanCost International and SMT Technology, which were matchmade by IPI.

The sight of Moses Tan hunched over a computer and typing away furiously was nothing new to his peers or family. As a consultant, his work involved advising manufacturing companies on workflow issues.

GIIAVA’s partnership with NUS, sparked off by IPI, aims to repurpose low-grade vegetable oil for higher value-added uses, which increases revenue yet benefits the environment.

Dr Yashodhan Bhawe stood in front of several large tanks, looking puzzled. He was expecting a straightforward scale-up for a new vegetable oil upgrading process, but things turned awry when “big masses of blobs” were produced instead.

MooVita and Sioux Technologies are exploring ways to improve communications between autonomous vehicles and passengers. Brought together by IPI, they aim to help Singapore become a smart nation.

A box-like vehicle revs its engine as an elderly passenger announces his destination to a large screen on the dashboard. He then settles into his seat and enjoys the journey as the self-driving car navigates itself on the roads.

The fragrant pandan leaf has long been an essential ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking, but it also has detoxification properties to nourish the body and skin. With IPI’s help, Restoration Essence teamed up with researchers to unravel some of the science behind it.

Growing up, Sara Soong would watch her mother and grandparents grind and pound plants and herbs in the kitchen. But often, these did not end up in their cooking but on their faces and bodies.