Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: BioFresh: Advanced Ethylene and Moisture Management for Food Longevity

EPA Contract Number: 68HERC25C0017
Title: BioFresh: Advanced Ethylene and Moisture Management for Food Longevity
Investigators: Swears, Eran
Small Business: Dynamo.Ai LLC
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: December 16, 2024 through June 15, 2025
Project Amount: $100,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2025) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: SBIR - Sustainability , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Description:

The core problem addressed by this project centers on substantial post-harvest food loss driven by ethylene-induced ripening and spoilage, significantly limiting the shelf life of fresh produce in global supply chains. This degradation not only results in billions of dollars in annual economic loss but also contributes to food insecurity and environmental waste through spoilage-related emissions and discarded biomass. The EPA has highlighted sustainable packaging and preservation as priority research areas under its SBIR initiatives.

Current approaches to ethylene scavenging predominantly involve synthetic absorbers such as potassium permanganate sachets, zeolite clays, engineered activated carbons, and commercial products like Blueapple. While effective in laboratory settings, these methods present significant drawbacks, including high costs, toxicity, limited biodegradability, and restricted packaging compatibility. Specifically, Blueapple sachets, which rely on sodium permanganate-impregnated zeolite, are expensive, not biodegradable, pose toxicity concerns due to their strong oxidative properties, and do not preserve essential flavor attributes. Emerging advanced activated carbon technologies like Activated Carbon Cloth (ACC) and nanoporous polymers show high ethylene absorption but remain cost-prohibitive and environmentally incompatible with organic packaging standards.

Our innovation addresses these challenges by utilizing naturally derived biochar sourced from agricultural waste streams. Through optimized pyrolysis processes, this biochar demonstrates substantial potential for passive ethylene and moisture capture, offering a sustainable lifecycle, significant cost advantages, and alignment with compostable packaging standards. Experimental validations employed rigorous methods, including gas chromatography and TENAX tube sampling, within controlled laboratory environments.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

For efficacy testing, produce with high commercial relevance and rapid spoilage profiles, bananas, strawberries, and avocados, were selected to represent ethylene-sensitive climacteric and moisture-sensitive non-climacteric categories. These fruits offer clear quantifiable degradation indicators such as softening, microbial growth, color changes, and weight loss. Laboratory testing utilized sealed chambers with ethylene gas analyzers, mechanical firmness testers, environmental sensors, and visual grading metrics, supplemented by digital photographic documentation. Compared against standard commercial products including Blueapple, preliminary trials showed that both Blueapple and biochar extended shelf life by similar margins. However, biochar-based produce consistently retained superior quality, including higher firmness, better titratable acidity, a more stable Brix:TA ratio, and enhanced overall flavor and sensory profiles. These results confirm that while shelf-life extension was comparable, biochar delivered markedly better preservation of texture and taste.

Beyond comparable shelf-life performance, our biochar-based solutions offer additional comparative benefits over Blueapple, including significantly lower costs, estimated to be approximately 5–10 times less expensive per unit at scale, inherent biodegradability, non-toxic nature, and the ability to preserve and enhance produce flavor profiles, while being adaptable to alternative forms throughout the supply chain and residential applications. Three distinct biochar formulations were systematically evaluated, each derived from unique biomass feedstocks and pyrolysis treatments. These trials
identified clear performance differentials, with one formulation consistently demonstrating superior outcomes across fruit categories by significantly suppressing ethylene and moisture-induced spoilage. Optimal biochar concentration ranges were established, balancing cost-efficiency and efficacy. This supports a scalable commercialization strategy targeting growers, distributors, and retailers, with potential shelf-life extension impacts of 30–50% in commercial supply chain settings.

Three distinct biochar formulations were systematically evaluated, each derived from unique biomass feedstocks and pyrolysis treatments. These trials identified clear performance differentials, with one formulation consistently demonstrating superior outcomes across fruit categories by significantly suppressing ethylene and moisture-induced spoilage. Optimal biochar concentration ranges were established, balancing cost-efficiency and efficacy. This comprehensive approach supports a scalable commercialization strategy targeting growers, distributors, and retailers, with potential shelf-life extension impacts of 30–50% in commercial supply chain settings.

To support deployment and scale-up, a companion web application was developed to provide real-time monitoring and decision support for supply chain stakeholders using biochar-based packaging. This platform integrates environmental sensor data—including temperature, humidity, and ethylene levels—from active packaging environments and applies AI-driven analytics to model ripening trajectories and predict remaining shelf life. Users can access visual dashboards, receive alerts on critical spoilage thresholds, and simulate packaging configurations tailored to specific commodity types and distribution durations. By aligning digital monitoring with physical preservation, the web application enhances traceability, optimizes logistics, and supports data-informed interventions to reduce waste and extend produce freshness across the value chain.

Conclusions:

The project's proprietary approach integrates material science innovation, rigorous experimental protocols, and scalable supplier engagement models, promising substantial reductions in fresh produce waste. Our biochar-based solution represents an environmentally responsible and economically viable alternative to conventional synthetic ethylene absorbers, effectively addressing the urgent need for sustainable food preservation solutions in modern agricultural and retail systems.