UConn Startup Revolutionizes Food Preservation… Through Kelp – UConn Today

UConn Startup’s Seaweed-Based Innovation Advances Sustainable Development Goals

Project Overview and Initial Funding

Atlantic Sea Solutions, Inc. (Atlas), a green technology company incubated at the University of Connecticut (UConn), has been awarded a $175,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The funding is allocated for the development of a prototype for an edible food coating made from sugar kelp extract. This innovation aims to significantly extend the shelf-life of fresh produce, aligning with global sustainability efforts.

Alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The project directly contributes to several key Sustainable Development Goals through its innovative approach to food preservation and local industry support.

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger & SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

   The core function of the seaweed-based coating is to reduce food spoilage and waste. By potentially doubling the shelf-life of perishable foods, the technology addresses critical targets for reducing food losses along supply chains, thereby enhancing food security and promoting sustainable consumption patterns.

2. SDG 14: Life Below Water & SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   This technology creates a new, high-value application for Connecticut’s sugar kelp, addressing a significant market bottleneck for the state’s emerging kelp farming industry. This fosters the sustainable use of marine resources and promotes decent work and economic growth by strengthening a local, green industry.

3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   As a deep-tech startup originating from university research, Atlas exemplifies the goal of fostering innovation. The project represents a pioneering use of seaweed extract. The long-term vision to establish a seaweed biorefinery in Connecticut supports the goal of building resilient infrastructure and upgrading the industrial sector for sustainability.

Development Pathway and Institutional Support

The project’s success is built upon a foundation of institutional support and a strategic development model designed to foster entrepreneurship.

• The technology was developed within UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) by a team led by Assistant Professor Mingyu Qiao and research associate Anuj Purohit.
• Initial support was provided by UConn’s Technology Commercialization Services (TCS) for patent filing, as well as by UConn and NSF I-Corps grants.
• The Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) Summer Fellowship provided crucial funding and mentorship to refine the business model and go-to-market strategy.
• The SBIR award is a direct result of UConn’s “Innovation Faculty” initiative, created to bolster entrepreneurship and grow the state’s economy.

Future Outlook and Broader Impact

The Phase I SBIR funding marks a critical step in the company’s plan to scale its operations and impact.

• Prototype and Market Validation: The immediate goal is to develop a crude pilot concept to secure prospective customers and validate the technology’s commercial potential.
• Scaling and Expansion: The company plans to pursue further SBIR grants to scale production and test bigger models of the product.
• Economic and Research Cycle: The long-term objective is to build a biorefinery in Connecticut, enabling national and international sales. This success would demonstrate a repeatable model for launching deep-tech startups from UConn, creating a cycle that attracts further funding and talent to the university’s research enterprise.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  The article connects to SDG 2 by focusing on reducing food loss. The development of an edible food coating that “extends the shelf-life of fresh produce” and reduces spoilage contributes to making the food supply chain more efficient, which is a key component of ensuring access to sufficient and nutritious food.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article highlights the creation of a startup (Atlantic Sea Solutions) as part of a university initiative “to bolster entrepreneurship and grow the state’s economy.” The project aims to create a “repeatable model” to launch more startups, secure funding, and foster economic growth through innovation.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  This goal is central to the article. It describes a “deep-tech startup” built on “groundbreaking UConn technology.” The process of securing a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, filing for a patent, and the university’s broader goal to “launch more deep-tech startups from UConn” all exemplify the promotion of scientific research, technological upgrading, and innovation.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  The core technology discussed—an edible coating to preserve food—directly addresses the issue of food waste. The article states the coating can “double the shelf-life of perishable foods by reducing shrinkage and spoilage,” which is a direct contribution to more sustainable consumption and production patterns by minimizing food loss.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  The technology is based on seaweed extract from sugar kelp. The article discusses Connecticut’s “emerging kelp farming industry” and the “growing interest among state farmers in cultivating seaweed in Long Island Sound for its environmental benefits.” This supports the sustainable use of marine resources and provides new economic opportunities for those involved in aquaculture.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 12.3: Halve food waste and reduce food losses

   The article’s main focus is on a technology designed to “extend the shelf-life of fresh produce.” The company’s belief that its coating can “double the shelf-life of perishable foods by reducing shrinkage and spoilage” directly aligns with the goal of reducing food losses along production and supply chains.

2. Target 14.7: Increase economic benefits from the sustainable use of marine resources

   The startup’s technology creates “new opportunities for Connecticut sugar kelp farmers” and aims to solve a “bottleneck to growth” for the state’s seaweed farmers. This directly relates to increasing the economic benefits derived from the sustainable management of aquaculture.

3. Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research and upgrade technological capabilities

   The entire initiative described, from the university’s “Innovation Faculty” plan to the startup securing an SBIR grant for research and development, is an example of enhancing scientific research and fostering innovation. The goal is to create a “cycle that feeds into the UConn research enterprise” by launching deep-tech startups.

4. Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through innovation

   The article presents the startup as a vehicle for economic growth, built on “groundbreaking UConn technology” and innovation. The project is part of a broader initiative to “grow the state’s economy” by commercializing university research and bolstering entrepreneurship.

5. Target 2.4: Ensure sustainable food production systems

   The article supports this target in two ways: first, by promoting kelp farming, which is described as having “environmental benefits,” and second, by developing a technology that reduces post-harvest losses, thereby making the overall food production system more sustainable and resilient.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicators for Target 12.3 (Reduce food losses)

  The primary implied indicator is the reduction in food spoilage. The article provides a specific metric: the company’s belief that its coating can “double the shelf-life of perishable foods.” This is a measurable outcome that directly tracks progress in reducing post-harvest losses.

• Indicators for Target 14.7 (Economic benefits from marine resources)

  Progress can be measured by the growth of the Connecticut kelp farming industry. The article implies indicators such as the number of farmers who can sell their kelp, the volume of kelp sold for this new application, and the overall economic growth of the sector, which currently faces a “bottleneck.”

• Indicators for Target 9.5 & 8.2 (Innovation and Economic Growth)

  The article mentions several concrete indicators:

  • Research and Development Funding: The award of a “$175,000 in seed funding” through the SBIR grant is a direct measure of R&D investment.
  • Creation of New Businesses: The formation of the startup “Atlantic Sea Solutions, Inc.” is an indicator of entrepreneurial activity.
  • Development of Intellectual Property: The act of “filing for a patent” is a key indicator of innovation.
  • Replicable Models: The stated goal of creating a “repeatable model” to “launch more startups” serves as a strategic indicator for fostering a larger innovation ecosystem.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: today.uconn.edu