An exciting new development in pesticides has been created by a British firm using everyday products against lethal fungi and pests.
British firm Eden Research has created an alternative to chemical pesticides by combining natural items, such as tea tree oil and lemon juice, and crucially finding a way to ensure that the product stays active on the crops for longer than a few hours.
Another crucial goal was to find a product which does not harm the important honey bee population which is responsible for crop pollination.
It has used the brewing industry’s waste product spent yeast. After cleaning them, the yeast cells are filled with the active plant extracts. It is this encapsulation process which enables natural ingredients to have sufficient longevity, as well as giving the product another ecologically sound element.
Eden’s chief executive, Sean Smith, said: “All of our active ingredients are EU approved. We spent five years, from 2008 to 2013, proving that we don’t kill bees.”
Eden’s botrytis product, 3AEY, is derived entirely from plants, cheap to manufacture and just as effective as toxic chemical variants.
The botrytis fungus decimates vineyards. Eden’s spray will soon be applied to vineyards across the globe, after having reached a deal with a chemical company in Milan.
Currently, the pesticides which were used to protect crops, neonicotinoids, are banned by the European Commission because of the harm caused to honey bees.
But that ban ends this year, and lobbyists for the big chemical companies have been out in force to get them reinstated.
CEO Smith notes: “The intensity of farming isn’t going to decrease and these companies must find sustainable ways to protect crops.”
Eden is aiming for big chemical corporations to license its pesticides, with a number of deals already in the works, such as the use of its encapsulation technology for Bayer Animal Health in producing dog shampoos and flea and tick products.
But Eden’s work may provide the technology for a host of other applications, such as to help heal wounds, to make perfume’s aroma last longer, to neutralise odours, and to preserve foods.
So far, Eden has spent £12m developing the technology. Initial funding 10 years ago was from wealthy individuals. Four out of the top 10 richest Norwegians have put cash into the company.
Eden also raised £1.1m on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market in February 2013 to help fund the regulatory approval process – the company is currently waiting for the final approval for its products to be used in southern Europe.
