The Bioeconomy Science Institute, a collaboration between AgResearch, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Plant & Food Research, and Scion, has received more than US$12 million in Endeavour Fund support for two research initiatives aimed at transforming New Zealand's food, horticulture, and biotechnology sectors.
The first program, Super-Storing: Extending the Life of NZ's Perishable Fruits, has been awarded US$6.1 million. Led by Associate Professor Robert Schaffer and Dr Rosie Schröder, the research seeks to replicate the long storage life of kiwifruit in shorter-lived crops such as berries and stone fruit. By using advanced gene technologies, the team aims to extend storage capacity, allowing sea freight to distant markets such as Asia and Europe.
New Zealand's fresh fruit exports currently generate about US$2.1 billion annually, led by kiwifruit and apples. The research is expected to diversify the horticultural sector, support the government's target of increasing export value from US$4.2 billion to US$7.3 billion per year, generate more than US$360 million in domestic economic activity, and reduce food waste and emissions by replacing air freight with sea transport.
"This work will directly benefit growers, extend harvest windows, and build resilience against extreme weather," said Schaffer. "It's about unlocking the full potential of New Zealand's horticultural diversity."
The second initiative, Turning Pine Waste into Premium Proteins, has received US$6.2 million over five years. Led by Dr David Hooks and Dr Scott Knowles, it will develop precision fermentation processes to convert forestry residues into high-value proteins. Using chemoenzymatic methods, pine waste will be turned into fermentation feedstocks to grow engineered yeast strains capable of producing proteins such as osteopontin and casozepine, which replicate the nutritional and functional characteristics of animal-derived ingredients.
Dr Hooks said, "This is more than a research program. It's a blueprint for how New Zealand can lead in the next generation of food and biotech innovation."
Dr Knowles added, "By converting forestry residues into feedstocks, we're unlocking a new pathway for sustainable protein production, one that aligns with global efforts to build climate-resilient food systems."
The project will also focus on developing enzymes for biomass conversion, yeast strains for high protein expression, single-cell protein co-products for animal feed, and digital modelling to optimise precision fermentation systems.
Source: Stuff
