Disposable plastic products are to disappear from the European market from 2021. This was decided by the EU Parliament in November 2018. Since then, more research has been conducted into alternatives to disposable plastic articles such as drinking straws or cutlery that are affected by the ban. Two master's graduates of the SRH University of Applied Sciences in Heidelberg have a tasty solution to the problem: they are developing edible spoons.
Food packaging is designed to do one job above all others: to protect food so that it remains edible and arrives at the customer unscathed. Depending on their use, the materials must therefore be heat-resistant and have a high degree of stability. But the trend away from fossil resources also presents the packaging industry with ever new challenges. Sustainable alternatives are in demand in order to conserve both natural resources and the environment. One such alternative might be banana leaves.
Potatoes are an important staple in many countries. However, as a result of climate change, harvests are increasingly threatened by extreme weather conditions and pest infestation. Scientists at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, together with their industrial partners BIOCARE and field seed producer Freudenberger, want to pre-treat the potato seed so that the young plants are more resistant.
Intensive livestock farming causes several environmental problems. One of them is related to the use of soybeans as animal feed. Their high energy and protein content makes them the feed of choice for many livestock species. However, rainforests are destroyed for their cultivation, transport from South America causes high CO2 emissions and, at least in large parts of Europe, most consumers dislike the fact that most soya fields are cultivated with genetically modified plants.
Satellite data have long since expanded their use beyond weather forecasting. They provide agricultural researchers with important information on soil properties or plant growth and are the basis for harvest forecasts. Data collected from orbit are also an important tool for marine researchers to observe algae growth. Up to now, satellites have been used to measure the amount of the plant pigment chlorophyll in the water and thus the concentration of algae.
Many plants and animals have adapted to their environment during evolution. The gradual change of the genetic make-up took place over generations. The gradual change of the genetic material took place over generations. But climate change is becoming a problem for many organisms because it is progressing too rapidly. As part of an international study, researchers at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel have now investigated how strongly epigenetic processes influence the adaptability of organisms to the environment.
Water is a precious resource and often causes conflicts of use. This is because this resource, which is vital for humans, animals and plants, is coming under increasing pressure from climate change, urbanization and pollution. According to experts, agriculture alone accounts for 70% of global water consumption. Not only in warm regions such as Spain, but also in Germany, drought and heat are already causing bottlenecks in irrigation and thus yield losses. Alternative solutions are needed to avoid conflicts of use.
Whether in urban parks or in the private garden: huge amounts of green waste are produced every year when mowing the lawn. Until now, the freshly mowed grass either ends up in the compost or is disposed of at high cost. Under the title "GreenToGreen", a research consortium now wants to establish grass as a raw material source. The project will be funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research over the next three years with 280,000 euros as part of the "BioBall" measure.
Plants need water to grow. The supply of liquid is provided by the roots. How much water is absorbed is determined by a hydraulic system that works similar to machines. A negative pressure ensures that plants suck the water out of the soil. The suction power is based on the negative pressure in the plant supply channels, which is created by the evaporation of water on the cell walls of the leaves. But the pressure in this network is usually limited to minus 100 bar for plants. Until now it was unclear why this is so.
Nature offers a wide range of active ingredients that play an increasingly important role in medicine, the pharmaceutical and food industries. Natural substances that are not very popular are gradually coming into the spotlight. Ferulic acid is one of these candidates. It is contained in many plants such as rice, dill or roseroot and has health promoting ingredients as well as flavours which are relevant for the production of aromas such as vanillin and the typical wheat beer taste.