Image: © Sergey Ryzhov/Stock.adobe.com
A former Start-up of the Week, Senoptica helps sellers significantly reduce food waste by using tech to identify spoiled goods faster than conventional methods.
Irish food-tech start-up Senoptica Technologies has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand its technology to the US market.
A spin-out of Trinity College Dublin, Senoptica develops patented sensor technology that helps monitor the oxygen in modified atmosphere food packaging – enabling food manufacturers to identify spoiled goods before they make their way to retail shelves.
In an announcement today (9 April), the company said that the FDA approval will allow it to expand retail trials of its technology across the US market.
Senoptica will also expand its operations in the UK, where it recently completed trials with a large unnamed retailer, as it aims to help retailers around the world extend the shelf life of fresh packaged goods by up to 40pc, reducing food waste.
“Senoptica is on a mission to use deep tech to increase food supply chain reliability with a view of mitigating food waste in the long term with manufacturers and retail partners,” said CEO Brendan Rice.
“Our technology currently improves the probability of finding failed packs by up to 11,000 times compared to today’s industry standard.”
A former Start-up of the Week, Senoptica’s optical sensors are created by their patented food-safe ink which is printed inside packaging. This indicates the level of oxygen inside the food packaging, offering a real-time analysis of the condition of goods inside, aiming to predict spoilage before it happens.
This helps manufacturers to immediately identify and return defective packs of food to the packing line to have them repacked. Retailers, on the other hand, can make better estimates of expiry dates on packaged food items.
“With our unique solution, we hope to revolutionise the food supply chain through helping all in the food supply chain become smarter about food spoilage,” Rice added.
The business was co-founded by Rice, who has extensive experience in the food industry and a background in the commercial disciplines of innovation, marketing and sales. He co-founded the start-up with Dr Steve Comby and Dr Rachel Evans, who co-invented the technology behind Senoptica.
Find out how emerging tech trends are transforming tomorrow with our new podcast, Future Human: The Series. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
