Israel Active

Israel’s Better Seeds (see previously) has now developed black-eyed peas (cowpeas) that can be mechanically harvested. The original hardy, high-protein cowpea grows haphazardly and can only be harvested by hand. BetterSeeds’ version grows upright and is much easier to harvest by machine.

The wasabi served with your sushi is often just a mixture of mustard, horseradish and green coloring. Authentic wasabi is difficult to grow, mainly in Japan, and now in Israel too. Ran Ronen cultivates the plant in his greenhouses on Moshav Eliad in the Golan Heights, selling it to up-market restaurants and online.

Israel’s Technion Institute hosted the “Taste of the Future” conference, which focused on the development of alternatives for animal proteins. It coincided with the establishment of Technion’s Carasso FoodTech Innovation Center. Lunch consisted of steaks from Israel’s Redefine Meat and eggs from Yo-egg.

A Dutch study of the companies using Modified Atmosphere Packaging from Israel’s Stepac (see previously) shows a dramatic reduction in the amount of food wasted and CO2 emissions produced compared to polyethylene packaging or zero packaging products.  

This Ben Gurion University webinar features BGU’s Eilat campus that transforms the city into an educational epicenter for Tourism & Hospitality and Marine Biology & Energy Sciences. It features innovative sea tech like 3D-printed coral that can save the world's reefs.

Israel’s Harbo Technologies (see previously) has now sold 2,000 units of its oil containment screens in the decade since it was founded. Its customers are in the US, Canada, the UK, Scandinavia, and the Far East. Harbo was used to contain Rotterdam Port’s huge oil spill in Jun 2018.

Five products based on Israeli technology were cited in TIME magazine’s Best Inventions of 2022 among “200 inventions changing the way we live”. In the AI category - and ; in Accessibility - ; in Apps & Software - ; and in Household - .

Tel Aviv University researchers connected a biological sensor to an electronic system and used an AI algorithm to identify odors with an extremely high level of sensitivity. They believe that this technology may also be used in the future to identify explosives, diseases, and more.

Italian seed company Fenix is extending its alliance with Israel’s Genesis Seeds, whose “Prospera” non-GMO basil (see ) leads the Italian market. It resists downy mildew (“the basil killer”) and the fungus Fusarium of basil. Genesis and Fenix will now develop new resistant hybrids.

Interesting article from a Chinese media source that describes how Israel grows abundant crops in the harshest environment. It features the Vidor Center, drip irrigation, and soil sensors for smart irrigation.