Innovations

The Natural Biostimulant developed at the University of the Western Cape is a proudly South African, cost-effective, safe, natural and organic botanical fertiliser with promising commercial applications in the agriculture sector. Derived from an indigenous plant extract, the product contains a

Bambara Groundnut: A Versatile, Nutritious Crop with Market Potential The Bambara Groundnut, also known as the round bean, is widely grown across Africa and is recognised by various names. It has significant potential as a cash crop due to its nutritional composition, functional properties, and

The Rotatable Fish Drying Frame is aimed at formalising a specific fish-drying process already used by different communities in Africa. The frame allows for the drying of up to 100 kg of fresh fish at a time using the existing iteration. The key principle is that after one week of drying, the drum

The biological sand filtration system is a simple, cost-effective solution used to improve the quality of winery wastewater for reuse (e.g., for beneficial irrigation). The system can operate entirely off-grid using solar panels and gravity for energy. Microbial communities within the system degrade

A novel bioreactor system that uses membranes to create a compartmentalised system where two or more species can be co-cultured without mixing of species, while ensuring rapid exchange of metabolites and proteins between compartments and shared medium composition. The system operates continuously

Many of the commonly used food preservatives and microbial agents are synthetic compounds. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in avoiding or eliminating the use of synthetic compounds and in developing and promoting the use of natural materials for use as antimicrobial agents

The CSIR has established a bioconversion platform that focuses on alternative pathways for chemical production. The platform is geared towards local production and replacing imports of bio-based platform chemicals, including lactic acid. This shift will have a direct impact on the bioeconomy. The

The recombinant LSDV-BCoV vaccine is an innovative dual vaccine designed to provide simultaneous protection against Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) and Bovine Coronavirus (BCoV). It utilises a recombinant LSDV vector to express key BCoV antigens, including the spike (S1 and S2 subunits) and