Canterbury innovators rise to the Food, Fibre and Agritech Challenge
The 2022 Food, Fibre and Agritech Supernode Challenge climaxed in an outstanding Showcase during E Tipu: The Boma Agri Summit. The gala evening on 21 June highlighted and rewarded the impressive prize-winning thinking behind the top 12 ventures entered in this year’s Challenge.
University of Canterbury Chemical and Process Engineering academic Associate Professor Ken Morison is using his research expertise in dairy and food process design alongside PhD student Mahnaz Shahverdi in developing SuperPro, the Overall Winner and Research Grand Winner.
University of Canterbury (UC) Chemical and Process Engineering academic Associate Professor Ken Morison is using his research expertise in dairy and food process design alongside PhD student Mahnaz Shahverdi in developing SuperPro, the Overall Winner and Research Grand Winner.
Associate Professor Morison says the responses to their venture have all been very encouraging.
“This year’s Food, Fibre and Agritech Supernode Challenge came at just the right time for the project; interest in plant-based foods and especially proteins is growing rapidly, and there are conversations about new directions for sustainable New Zealand farming,” he says.
“One of the special features of the technology is that is can be scaled-up progressively without the need for high-risk capital investment. We hope that this technology will provide the basis for the production of niche, high-quality plant-protein food for the growing market of people who prefer to eat less meat.”
