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The incidence of food recalls has not declined, over the past few decades, which is troubling. To address this, food producers continually evaluate their processes to ensure the highest quality and profitability, through a significant focus on risk management. Risks like drought and flood are considered acts of nature to which consumers are forgiving; however, other risks, such as releasing contaminated food items to consumers, is viewed by the public as preventable, less forgivable and dangerous.
There is a need for technologies that will enable precision agriculture and integrate controlled release fertilisers, pest and weed management, and weather forecasting.
The aim of this project is to further develop a product that will fully satisfy the demands of the agri-food market. The Terrabio instrument is the first portable analyser that is easy enough to be used by those with no training in microbiology or molecular biology. Terrabio is based on a novel, patent-pro¬tected technique and delivers fast pathogen detection onsite so that producers can monitor their fields and prevent damage in a timely manner. The Terrabio product will empower food producers to change business practices and allow them to deliver fresher and safer foods to consumers while maintaining economic efficiencies. These benefits will translate into economic gains for the users as fast and precise pest monitoring will limit agrochemical use and contribute to higher yields and fewer losses.
The aim of the SME Instrument Phase 1 feasibility study is to optimise and validate the business plan that will guide the exploitation and commercialisation of our product. Terrabio’s technology is suitable for pathogen testing in any biological sample and has a wide range of diagnostic application. The success of this project will provide Terrabio with the possibility to scale up fast, cooperate with leaders in agriculture and food safety markets, and address global challenges in food safety.