Researchers make incredible breakthrough that could help us keep food fresh longer: 'Paradigm-changing'

We've all seen it happen. That fresh produce you bought Sunday is looking pretty sad by Wednesday. It's a huge waste of money, but a new partnership is looking to nature for a fix.

Synbiobeta reported that two companies, Corbion and BRAIN Biotech AG, are creating natural preservatives from "antimicrobial compounds and their derivatives." The goal? To make our food last longer and be safer to eat.

It's a serious issue. Unsafe food makes at least 2 billion people sick across the globe each year. On top of that, more people are demanding natural ingredients in their food, instead of a list of synthetic chemicals they can't pronounce.

For the rest of us, this could mean fewer emergency grocery runs and a lot less food spoiling in the fridge. The concept isn't brand-new, of course. People have used things like plant oils to preserve food for thousands of years. This project just brings that old-school wisdom into the 21st century to make our food supply more resilient.

The team behind the partnership is hopeful about its potential. Dr. Martin Langer from BRAIN Biotech AG said that he expects the partnership will "deliver real impact for the world's food manufacturers."

This isn't happening in a vacuum. It's part of a much bigger push in food science. In South Korea, scientists created an edible coating for fruit out of crustacean shells that makes it last longer. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is using a federal grant to see how CRISPR technology can do something similar.

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It all points toward a future with a more stable food supply. With all the challenges facing the planet, some scientists are thinking way outside the box. One proposal even involves creating a seed and cell bank on the moon, just in case of natural disasters here on Earth.

Ultimately, the collaboration is focused on speeding up progress toward a safer and more resilient food system. As Corbion's Domenico Vulcano stated, "we believe this kind of collaboration will help us bring the next paradigm-changing breakthroughs to market sooner."

What do you typically use to store food?

Glass containers 😎