UCU Student Invents New Product To Preserve Food Longer

Posted by: Kyeyune Andrew Jonathan in Uganda news April 3, 2023

Soon, food is going to be able to last six months stored at room temperature without refrigeration. This comes after a student invented a new preservation powder.

Jean Nageri is the founder of Sio Valley. He said his new product called ‘KaFresh’ that is in powder form will help address food wastage in the country.

In 2020, Nageri explained how his father lost over an acre of bananas after delaying to delivery to the market. He said when he saw this, it motivated him to come up with a lasting solution.

The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship graduate from UCU said his father asked him to get a solution for this.

Nageri said he suggested cold rooms at a point as a way of preserving food, but his father rejected the idea.

“I had to look into nature to solve this problem using organic means. I did research and found out why oranges tend to last longer than avocados. That was how I came up with KaFresh,” Nageri explained.

The KaFresh powder is a plant-based organic compound that forms an edible coating around the product. The coating slows down the rate of respiration which maintains the quality of the product.

The powder is made to be mixed with water and sprayed on the plant to increase its lifespan under room temperature.

Nageri revealed that they tested the product on tomatoes and they prolonged the lifespan to one month. Sweet potatoes to three months, avocados to two months and bananas to one month.

“We have conducted trials with two of the largest fruit exporters in Uganda and they have yielded results,” he said.

Despite the registered successes, Nageri’s team encountered some hiccups along the way. Some of these include inadequate resources, funding and trust in the product by customers.

“Raising capital has really been challenging, especially for an idea of this nature. Just because you have an idea doesn’t mean you will receive funding,” he said.

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