From the pages of Produce Business UK

UK agri-tech start-up Roboscientific outdueled more than 100 international entrants to win the 2019 Tesco Agri T-Jam during the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit.

Roboscientific has developed a new generation of sensors for detecting disease, infestation and contamination in agricultural products using Volatile Organic Compounds.

The technology is fast, reliable and affordable and at the point of commercialization for its automatic early disease detection system that includes early alerts of spoilage in stored potato and onion crops.      

“We have to commend the high standard of the pitches and the different technologies that made it to the final, across a wide range of sectors," said Tesco Food Technical & Agriculture Director Emmanuelle Lerges.

"It made it very difficult to choose one winner, but in Roboscientific, we see a fantastic opportunity for long term collaboration, from reducing antibiotics and waste to disease identification and food safety improvements.

“We look forward to working with Ben Curtis and the team at Roboscientific on trialing and developing technology through our supply chain.”

Commenting on the win, Curtis, Research Development Manager at Roboscientific said, “We’re shell-shocked and elated. It’s been a great experience, and we look forward to working together with Tesco and its partners to improve food wastage and animal welfare within the food supply chain.”

Roboscientific will now benefit from introductions to Tesco’s supply chain partners, as well as ongoing support from the Tesco Agriculture team. 

The other nine finalists included Acris Biotechnology (UK), Biosystems Engineering (UK), BlakBear (UK), CCm Technologies (UK), Faromatics (Spain), Metronome Technologies (UK), N2 Applied (Norway), Proteon Pharmaceuticals (Poland), and Smartbell (UK).