Market Access Africa (MAA) is back and better than ever, bringing together key stakeholders from the food and agriculture value chain to explore opportunities for market access and growth

With a focus on attaining and improving access to markets, MAA offers a unique platform for industry experts, policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs to exchange insights, forge partnerships, and drive innovation in agribusiness. The event will be taking place from 25-26 June at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Agribusiness experts have been invited to share their knowledge and expertise at MAA 2024 on the following case studies:

1. Exploring innovative approaches to connecting farmers and vendors to local and international markets, sharing success stories, challenges and best practices.

2. Delving into the importance of traceability and forecasting in the agrifood value chain, highlighting global and local initiatives, technologies and strategies.

3. Analysing the impact of fluctuating agricultural export revenue on African economies, examining currency swap deals, credit-wrapped transaction structures and lessons learned.

Attendees interested to speak at MAA 2024 are advised to submit their proposal by 30 April 2024.

For more information, visit: https://access-africa.com 

A recent study led by the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) atmospheric chemistry professor, Matthew Stanley Johnson brought to the spotlight, a new method devised by researchers to eradicate low-concentration methane from air

A new Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS) reaction chamber, comprising an elongated metal box with heaps of hoses and measuring instruments, was built. Using chlorine and energy from light, researchers were successful in removing methane from air at a greater speed and efficiency compared to its natural decomposition rate in the atmosphere. Inside the box, a chain reaction of chemical compounds takes place, which breaks down the methane and removes a large portion of the gas from air.

"Methane decomposes at a snail's pace because the gas isn’t especially happy about reacting with other things in the atmosphere," explained Johnson. "However, we have discovered that, with the help of light and chlorine, we can trigger a reaction and break down the methane roughly 100 million times faster than in nature."

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has determined that reducing methane gas emissions—which are considered to be 85 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than CO2—will immediately reduce the rise in global temperatures. 

With the development of their new MEPS reaction chamber, the researchers plan to connect the device to the ventilation system in a livestock barn, where it will behave as a methane cleaner. A 40 ft shipping container will soon arrive at the Department of Chemistry and will become a larger prototype of the reaction chamber that the researchers built in the laboratory. The UCPH spin-out company Ambient Carbon, started and now headed by Johnson is currently developing the MEPS technology and plans to make it available to society in the near future. 

For more information, visit: https://science.ku.dk/

As the olive oil industry continues to face unprecedented challenges, there has been a gradual increase in fraudulent activities involving the sale of counterfeit mixtures that closely resemble authentic olive oil

The Mediterranean region responsible for the majority of the world's extra-virgin olive oil production has been hit by a severe drought, resulting in significant reductions in output from countries like Spain, Tunisia, Greece and Italy. This scenario has led to a dramatic surge in prices, in turn attracting counterfeiters who are exploiting the situation by introducing fake products into the market. With more than 260,000 litres of fake olive oil seized in Italy and Spain, Europol's recent investigations have shed light on the alarming prevalence of counterfeit olive oil within the market. 

Fraudulant schemes like these involve the substitution of high-quality olive oil with cheaper, inferior seed oils that are manipulated with additives like chlorophyll and carotenoids to mimic the appearance of authentic olive oil, thus deceiving the unsuspecting consumer. Mixing olive oil with lower-quality lampante oil is another method used to dilute the purity of olive oil while reducing costs. This not only compromises the quality but also misleads consumers about the product they are purchasing. Extra-virgin olive oil, a popular staple in culinary traditions has therefore, come under scrutiny wordwide, urging consumers and restauranteurs alike to exercise caution and vigilance.  

The presence of polyphenols are responsible for olive oil's unique flavour profiles, ranging from sweet to bitter or zesty. These compounds not only contribute to the oil's taste but also offer numerous health benefits. Characteristics like taste and aroma that are distinctive to authentic olive oil cannot be replicated by seed oils. However, distinguishing genuine olive oil from fraudulent mixtures can be challenging. Examination of fatty acid and sterol compositions are the most common analytical methods used to identify adulterated products. 

Moreover, since certain countries do allow the sale of blended oils, it is extremely important for consumers to carefully examine product labels for harvest dates, locations and certification seals from reputable third-party organisations, prior to selecting extra-virgin olive oil. Advances in technology, such as blockchain systems for traceability, offer promising solutions for enhancing transparency in the olive oil supply chain. However, the effectiveness of these tools is contingent upon consumer awareness and engagement. 

TOMRA Food has inaugurated a new centre dedicated to fresh fruit and processed food projects in Valencia, which will also act as the main HUB for Southern Europe and North Africa, and serve as a training, service and spare parts centre, extending TOMRA Food’s presence in the EMEA market

The company sees its relationship with its customers as a collaborative process where both look for the best solution for each project and work together on the design of new solutions. The Spanish fruit and vegetable and nut sector – which is key for the company – is highly concentrated in the eastern Levante region and surrounding area. That is why the new centre in Valencia, which is now fully operational, is an important step in strengthening this personal approach and fostering a close relationship and communication with the producers.

TOMRA Food’s expert team will manage the company’s European projects from their base in the Valencia centre. The site will be the hub for demonstrations of large and small fruit applications. It will also conduct occasional demonstrations for processed food, although Belgium will continue to be the centre of reference for these products. It will also deliver training for company staff and TOMRA Food customer operators. 

To reduce delivery times, the centre stores spare parts, while also serving as an after-sales service hub in the EMEA region. A local technical team of 15 people, headed by team leader Jorge García Cascales, provides excellent support to the almost 400 machines in fresh and processed food installations in Spain and Portugal, and also serves other countries in the region. 

The Valencia centre has an ample area for demonstrations with a variety of machines including the Demo SLS (Single Lane Sorter) featuring Spectrim C2IR and Inspectra 2 for citrus and large fruit applications (apples, stone fruits, tomatoes, kiwi, avocados, etc). Also, at the centre is a KATO + LUCAi 12-line sorter for blueberries, which uses Deep Learning technology with pre-trained models that teach computers how to process data and detect complex patterns in photos. A TOMRA 3A optical sorter for unwashed potatoes featuring the latest mechanical and vision advances is also available for demonstrations.

"These are sorters built on high-performance hardware with improved lighting and image quality, providing complete visibility of every piece of fruit, and infrared channels to detect complex defects such as radial cracks, bruises, rotten fruit, scars, and punctures," explained TOMRA Food's regional sales manager for Southern Europe, Alejandro Palacios. "We will also have a circulation of fresh food machines according to seasonal fruit and processed food sorters to support the various campaigns."

TOMRA’s technologies are in constant evolution, with innovations such as the 5.0 more intuitive and predictive software, or the Inspectra2 spectrometry system that reveals the internal condition of the fruit, coming on stream. . Moreover, the company will soon unveil the recently launched Spectrim X platform to the European markets, which reduces sorting errors and increases the yield of each batch of fruit.

For more information, visit: www.tomra.com