News Archive

T&G Global hits the spot with fermented apply flour
T&G Foods, a division of T&G Global, has signed an agreement with start-up business Green Spot Technologies to supply pomace to produce fermented apple flour.

The new partnership between T&G Foods and Green Spot will commence with trial production of fermented apple flour using T&G pomace.

Local Flavour – A hull of a good time: Adding value to hemp waste
A New Zealand medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp company is getting ready to unlock new markets with the help of a substantial research grant.

The Taranaki-based venture, Greenfern Industries, will use the $145,000 grant to investigate ways to turn hemp seed hulls into high-value products for the export market.

Auckland Uni start-up seeks investment to commercialise alternative flour made from apple waste
Scientists behind a nutrient-rich flour made from fermenting tonnes of fruit pulp normally sent to waste are seeking investment to help commercialise products from the technology.

Biological scientists at the University of Auckland have set up a spin-off company, Green Spot Technologies, to own the intellectual property for the fermentation process and its first product, the Ample Apple flour.

Alliance turning waste into $100m boost to the New Zealand economy
The Bioresource Processing Alliance is an MBIE-funded R&D programme that works with the primary sector to turn low value biological waste into high value exports – with a potential to add at least $100m to the New Zealand economy in the next three years.

Bioresource Processing Alliance’s General Manager Anna Yallop is convinced that New Zealand is strategically placed to take advantage of the global trend towards making better use of companies’ by-products.

A sea change in innovation
New Zealand’s seafood industry is well-placed to keep advancing beyond its core business into high-value products and processes, writes the new head of Seafood Innovations Ltd, Anna Yallop.

The seafood sector, like many other New Zealand primary sectors, has phenomenal opportunities to grow the value of its products.

Bioresource Processing Alliance – Intellectual Property Principles
The Bioresource Processing Alliance (BPA) is a public good research and development programme that is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to support opportunities to add value to by-products generated in the primary processing sector, with the objectives to increase productivity, generate export revenue, and create environmental and social benefits for New Zealanders.

Whole plant utilisation
Our medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp industries are reaching an exciting phase in their development. However, with significant growth there are a range of new challenges that will soon need to be overcome.

One of these challenges will be the rapid increase in plant biomass being generated over the coming years, with utilisation options today limited through lack of commercial pathways and current regulations.

Company Support Guide
The Bioresource Processing Alliance (BPA) aims to maximise whole-of-biological-resource use via processing to increase the profitability and sustainability of New Zealand’s biological raw materials by developing co-products from waste streams across the land-based animal, seafood, microbiological, agriculture/horticulture and forestry sectors.

Garage Project – A beer for you, beer biscuits for your dog
As its business grew, Wellington based brewery, Garage Project developed a one-tonne a day problem – spent grain. With the sugars extracted to be fermented into alcohol, what is left is a high protein, high fibre by-product of the brewing process. While local farmers loved the stuff and happily took it away to use as feed for their stock, it was a cost to the business.

Happily avo after
After years of R&D into uses for flawed fruit, orchard says its dried powder operation is win-win for country’s growers, writes Jane Phare.

Mashbone – from beer to biscuits
Craft beer lovers and dogs have something in common now: their favourite treat is being made at the same spot and share some ingredients.

The Garage Project in Aro Valley has launched their new product Mashbone using byproducts from beer brewing to enhance the dog biscuits.

Waste not: Exploring avocado’s untapped potential
Avocados have a waste problem, with about 5-10% deemed too small or misshapen for retail sale – and another 40% thrown out due to spoilage.

New Zealand-based Ovāvo has a plan to transform process grade fruit and waste from the avocado industry into value-added ingredients.

Hooch for the Pooch
They make innovative, award-winning beers and now the clever brewers at Wellington-based Garage Project have turned their hands to dog biscuits.

Jacqui Gibson reports on the creation of a new treat for man’s best friend.

Closing the plastic circle
Making plastic products from renewable sources could transform New Zealand from recycling laggard to a world leader.

Sustainable is Attainable
The first stage of the Hawke’s Bay Sustainable is Attainable programme ran over summer 21/22, with three students on the ground at participating businesses to collate data. Two of the students were funded by Callaghan Innovation, and the third was funded by the Bioresource Processing Alliance.

Non-dairy powders in New Zealand
Global macro trends confirm that consumers are increasingly looking to food for not only basic nutrition, but also to provide additional benefits to support a healthy lifestyle. The functional food and nutraceutical industries are responding to this increasing consumer awareness, of the link between diet and disease and of an aging population by investing in the development of products to meet this market demand.

Small contribution makes big impact on company’s waste and bottom line.
A company highly successful in selling salmon products into the human market has recently launched a range of products into the pet food market with the help of Massey University scientists and the Bioresource Processing Alliance (BPA).

Food Waste Utilisation
Over recent years, we’ve not only started to change the way we think about environmental issues but have actively begun making changes in the way we behave when it comes to consuming. At home, we compost all of our vegetable and fruit waste, grow our own vegetables and have planted an almost entirely edible backyard of fruit trees.

Criteria for Selecting BPA Projects
BPA funds projects that utilise secondary bioresource streams.

Plant & Food Research Summer Student Programme
Summer student programme: a symbiotic relationship between companies and university students.