Taiwanese researchers have developed a method using nanotechnology to extend the shelf life of bananas for 23 days.
The team was led by National Chung Hsing University professor Lin Yao-tung (林耀東).
Exhibiting the team’s techniques at a Ministry of Science and Technology pavilion at Computex Taipei on Wednesday last week, Lin said the technique is commercially feasible and more than 80 businesses, including household electric appliance suppliers, have approached the team seeking collaboration.
Photo: CNA
While plunging banana prices have grabbed media attention over the past few months, it is not a new problem, Lin said, adding that he has spent nine years researching techniques to extend the shelf life of various fruits.
Lin said he missed Taiwan’s various kind of high-quality bananas when studying in the US, adding that banana exports are unfortunately much weaker than local consumption.
Chilean agricultural products are exported an average distance of 11,157km and those of New Zealand an average of 10,765km, while Taiwanese agricultural products are exported an average of 1,793km, highlighting the nation’s need to develop more advanced techniques for keeping fruit fresh, he said.
Working with researchers in plant pathology, animal science and other domains, the team used mineral materials and agricultural waste to develop a coating for cardboard cases that slows down the ripening process by insulating the bananas during transportation, he said.
The results showed that the coating extended the shelf life of bananas, he said, adding that the technique could also be used in warehouse management systems.
The team also plans to collaborate with information engineers in developing an automated system for monitoring crops as they ripen, Lin said, adding that the system might soon be turned into a mobile app for farmers.
Asked about the cost of the technique, Lin said that academics spend less time thinking about business affairs.
The team might seek cooperations with companies that have expressed an interest in their technology, he added.
Lin teaches in the university’s Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, where two graduate students, Tu Kai-fen (涂凱芬) and Yan Li-ting (嚴莉婷), have started an agricultural technology company named Agritech (艾格泰).
The nation’s fastest supercomputer, Nano 4 (晶創26), is scheduled to be launched in the third quarter, and would be used to train large language models in finance and national defense sectors, the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) said. The supercomputer, which would operate at about 86.05 petaflops, is being tested at a new cloud computing center in the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan. The exterior of the server cabinet features chip circuitry patterns overlaid with a map of Taiwan, highlighting the nation’s central position in the semiconductor industry. The center also houses Taiwania 2, Taiwania 3, Forerunner 1 and
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
FIRST TRIAL: Ko’s lawyers sought reduced bail and other concessions, as did other defendants, but the bail judge denied their requests, citing the severity of the sentences Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was yesterday sentenced to 17 years in prison and had his civil rights suspended for six years over corruption, embezzlement and other charges. Taipei prosecutors in December last year asked the Taipei District Court for a combined 28-year, six-month sentence for the four cases against Ko, who founded the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The cases were linked to the Core Pacific City (京華城購物中心) redevelopment project and the mismanagement of political donations. Other defendants convicted on separate charges included Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇), who was handed a 15-year, six-month sentence; Core Pacific
RSS