Researchers aim to create nonallergenic eggs
Researchers in Australia have begun looking at producing chickens that lay eggs without the proteins that cause allergic reactions in humans. The project will “switch off” the four proteins in eggs that are responsible for most allergic reactions, utilizing RNAi, which is also used to modify crops, and the hope is that these eggs will hatch chickens that lay hypoallergenic eggs. If successful, the eggs could create hypoallergenic vaccines, which currently cannot be used by those with egg allergies.
May 26, 2015
Farmers Weekly
Sticking to cottonseed
Cottonseed meal – the leftovers after lint and oil are extracted from cottonseed- is typically fed to ruminant livestock or used as a fertilizer. USDA-ARS scientists are working for further uses for this coproduct, namely, wood adhesives. There are 1.3 million tons of cottonseed meal produced each year. The meal can be made into an adhesive, but it wasn’t holding up in water. The UDA-ARS has found a new seed-meal washing procedure improves water resistance of the adhesive.
June 2015
USDA-ARS
Soy saving roads
Biorestor®, made by Asphalt Systems, Inc. (ASI) in Ohio, is an alternative to petroleum-based road restorer products. It has a 95 percent biobased content and uses soy as its main ingredient. Users have found it works in a variety of applications. Some apply the product immediately after laying down the asphalt, some at a later date, and some even use it to rescue an older road. By adding this restorer, you can extend the life of an asphalt road longer than the average 10-12 years. Two other aspects of Biorestor we like, in addition to the fact it works, is that it’s less toxic to the environment than petroleum-based sealers and it’s made using soybeans that grow right alongside the very roads it protects.
Unitedsoybean.org
July 28, 2015
From ag waste to packaging
Zelfo Technology and Upgrading, in Germany, have produced an up-cycled wheat straw based packaging concept. This Maco and Nano Fibrillated Cellulose (M/NFC) packaging is made using 100 percent ag waste. The product range will focus on fruit and vegetable containers first.
Foodproductiondaily
May 25, 2015
Methane powered tractor
The first tractor to run on methane is coming to fruition in Italy. The T6 by New Holland, would run on methane, which is currently 30 percent cheaper than diesel, and for farms that produce their own biomethane, the costs would drop to nothing. Biomethane is a type of gas that is produced by the processing of organic waste. Along with costs savings, the technology would be more environmentally friendly by producing 80 percent less pollution than a standard tractor.
AP The Big Story
August 10, 2015