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How much food is wasted in the world?

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Food Loss & Food Waste

more than half of food waste comes from household

fruits and vegetables account for 45% of food loss & waste

Reducing household-level waste of fresh produce, which accounts for most of the food loss & waste, is an urgent issue.

Why do people waste
fruits and vegetables at home?

Despite being still edible, many fruits and vegetables are wasted
due to concerns about visual deterioration, freshness, and safety.

1.Excessive concern for freshness

Despite still being edible, produce may be discarded due to concerns about appearance, freshness, or safety. Especially in Japan, there is an overly strict demand for freshness as a local issue.

2.Climacteric rise and ripening

Climacteric fruits and vegetables such as bananas, apples, and tomatoes emit ethylene gas during ripening, which accelerates their own deterioration as well as that of surrounding produce. As a result, shelf life is shorter than expected, and consumption may not keep up.

3.Lack of objective standards

Unlike processed foods, fresh produce has no expiration date, best-before date, or clear visual criteria. Most people rely on personal experience to judge deterioration, which often leads to premature disposal or, conversely, risks of food poisoning.

To solve this problem, it is essential to build all-in-one food safety and spoilage monitoring system.

So we have developed

A cre/loxP-based Biosensor climactelic Fruits and vegetable

This system has three key functions

Protection

Produces the antibacterial peptide nisin, which prevents harmful bacteria from proliferating on the surface of produce while also helping maintain quality. This enables a longer preservation of freshness, quality, and safety at high levels.

Sense

Detects ethylene gas released during the ripening process, making it possible to monitor the degree of deterioration and prevent further spoilage.

Visualizaton

Expresses GFP protein to visibly indicate the detected level of deterioration. This provides clear labeling indicating whether fruit and vegetables are still edible or should be discarded.