Delaware Patent of the Month – September 2020

Life Science Growth

Delaware based DuPont has received a patent for its biopesticides, using novel genes that encode pesticidal proteins to produce transgenic pest-resistant plants. Or, simply, it has found a way to keep plants insect-free without chemicals, by engineering them to pretect themselves.

Using a microbial agent (e.g. fungi or bacteria) as a pesticide has a lower risk of pollution and environmental hazards than chemicals, and they provide more targeted than traditional chemical insecticides. They’re also cheaper to produce and utilize.

DuPont’s patent involves genetically engineering plants with insecticidal proteins from other plants and insects, to create biopesticides. For example, Bacillus species microorganisms (e.g. some moths, worms and beetles) have natural pesticidal activity to protect against more harmful insects. And, Pteridophyta (fern and moss plants) and Lycopodiophyta (vascular plants) also have a similar insecticidal protein. So, crops have been genetically engineered to produce proteins associated with these organisms. The pesticidal proteins control, inhibit growth or kill Lepidopteran (moths and butterflies), Coleopteran (beetles), Dipteran (flies), fungal, Hemipteran (bugs) and nematode (worms) pest populations.

Are you developing a new product or process? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who we are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Battling Health Problems with Mother Earth

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With the world in utter turmoil over health concerns, we’re all looking to how we can improve our immune systems, and look after our bodies. But, this isn’t the start of this trend. In the past few years, there’s been a push for cleaner, healthier diets.  Whether it be vegan food or less chemicals, millions of people are making better choices, and it’s having twofold impacts on both health and the environment. In fact, now more than ever we’re realizing how vital it is to have fresh, healthy nutrients in our bodies.

Medical company Mother Earth Labs understands the value in this, and has done for more than 15 years. The company crafts premium nutritional health products using the earth’s finest whole food ingredients – superfoods, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and botanicals – to help people replenish naturally.

The Company

From its founding in 2003, the Texas based company has endeavored to combine natural ingredients with science. The company is made up of experts with backgrounds in health sciences, pharmaceutical and nutritional health industries. Not only that, but it prides itself on small batch production to guarantee fresh and pure products. And, these products are free from gluten, soy, GMOs, and artificial flavors, sweeteners, and colors. The company works with like-mind suppliers and growers who share values of sustainability and traceability, and take pride in producing pure, high-quality, organic and non-GMO products. Even vegans, gym junkies and pets are taken into account…

Mother Earth Labs creates:

  • multi vitamins – single, one-ounce shots that are filled with potent natural vitamins, ionic minerals and other whole food ingredients,
  • humic and fulvic acid solutions, for GI health,
  • hormone-free, grass-fed whey or plant based protein powders, and
  • pet supplements.

The Impacts on Bodies

Every ingredient Mother Earth Labs uses, should be in an average diet. But, the key word here is ‘should’. Many people have problems getting it all into their diet, for a number of different medical or life choice reasons. Hence, the company aims to provide people with naturally stimulating products.

For example: vitamins. Vitamins and minerals are often put together, but they’re very different. Vitamins are organic substances that people get through food (i.e. from plants and animals). Minerals, however, originate from rocks, soils or water, and can be absorbed indirectly from the environment. Both are micronutrients that are vital in keeping our bodies functional, healthy and free from disease.

Fulvic acid is a yellow-brown substance that’s formed when animals and plants decomposed. It’s usually found in soil, coal and/or bodies of water (i.e. streams and lakes). Though that sounds horrible, it’s being used to alleviate a number of issues, like allergy symptoms, brain disorders like dementia, inflammation and potentially to slow the growth of cancer. It also seems to have immune-stimulating and antioxidant effects.

Macronutrients, like protein, are needed at much larger quantities. Bodies use protein to build and repair tissues, and to make enzymes, hormones, and other chemicals. It’s also important in the process of building bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. Basically the entire body.

The Impacts on the Environment

‘Organic agriculture’ essentially means that synthetic inputs are not used in the growing process. Simply, food and nutrients are farmed without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, veterinary drugs, genetically modified seeds and breeds, preservatives, additives and irradiation. ‘Sustainable agricultural practices’ by comparison, refer to the processes of focusing on a healthy environment, economic profitability, and social and economic equity during farming. Both involve taking a proactive approach to farming. The combination of the two has massive impacts on (pun definitely intended) mother earth, such as minimized pollution (both air and water); increased wildlife biodiversity; more nutrient-rich soil and water (i.e. faster growing, better tasting produce); and, long term farming sustainability.

Mother Earth Labs is a company concerned with not only our health, but also the health of the planet. And we should be too.

Are you developing innovative health products? Did you know your work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Less food waste = more good food, and more money

food and bev

When bananas get soft, I was always taught to put them in the freezer. They’re great in smoothies or even as healthy ‘ice cream’. Spoiling apples… maybe a pie? But moldy bread or off milk would go straight in the trash, and it feels like a massive waste of both food and money.

I’m not the only one concerned about waste. U.S. retailers are throwing out about eight million tons, or $18 billion worth, of wasted food each year. Fresh food is dynamic, and selling it is an enormous challenge that plagues even the biggest and best companies. Why? The trend for healthy eating (a.k.a. fresh fruit, vegetables, organic meat and dairy, freshly baked bread) is massive. But, these foods spoil fast and don’t store well. They vary in quality, taste and shelf life each season, and so does consumer demand, meaning it’s hard to know when they’ll sell best. They also don’t come with printed barcodes or expiration dates, so grocers often manually check their stock, a labor intensive job complete with human error.

So, what happens when selling fresh food is a must, but not at all easy? The result is stores ordering too much, or at the wrong time, and wasting both fresh food and money.

Afresh saw this issue, and decided to do something about it (other than making banana smoothies). The San Francisco based startup has developed AI technology that optimizes the fresh food supply chain. It’s built specifically to identify and analyze the perishability, quality and seasonality of fresh produce. The aim is to eliminate food waste, improve its partners’ profitability, and make fresher, healthier food more accessible.

So, how does the tech work? Firstly, staff input inventory into Afresh’s systems. Then, the machine learning platform uses this data, combined with an enormous amount of background data, to predict a number of probable future events. From this, it can recommend how much stock should be ordered and when. Over time, the algorithm can make larger predictions. The company is currently working on adding more insights into the tech, such as recent weather conditions near certain farms, and how this will affect the product and its sales. A number of stores are already trialing the AI tech and have seen great results; most stores have cut their food waste in half.

And for those who aren’t grocery giants, and aren’t overly concerned with the money, it’s also doing the earth a load of good.

Are you developing technology to reduce waste? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’s largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Strawberry farming robots are oh so sweet

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There is nothing nicer than biting into a sweet, ripe strawberry. But, on the flip side, it doesn’t sound pleasant having to stand in the sun and bend over all day to pick them. Here’s another brilliant chance for robots. And intelligent companies, like Advanced Farm Technologies, are grasping it.

The founders of Advanced Farm Technologies previously owned Greenbotics, a company using robots to service and wash solar panels. So, it’s clear they’re not afraid of new technology. In fact the company prides itself on using robots to improve costs and quality for customers, and improve conditions for workers. And, it’s not afraid to impress us with what these bots can do.

The tech team

The company’s strawberry harvesting robots, T-6s, have multiple robotic arms topped with soft grips, to delicately handle the berries. The grips are easy to clean and replace, designed with food safety in mind. The robots also help pick for picky eaters: the stems come off, meaning the berries are ready to eat now. On America’s West Coast, strawberries are harvested 70 times each season. Hence, Advanced Farm Technologies has its robot prototypes in Oxnard, Santa Maria and the Salinas-Watsonville regions.

And it’s not the first company to bring robots into agriculture. Harvest CROO Robotics is doing a similar thing. The Florida based company is revolutionizing the agriculture industry with its automatic harvester, Berry 5 (B5). The B5 is expected to be put to work next harvesting season. It’ll need workers to pack the berries for now, but the aim is to provide a fully autonomous process. Vision Robotics has developed a robot with the ability to thin lettuce, prune grapevines and weed unwanted areas. Soon, these robots will be a common sight. The autonomous, or self-driving, tracker market was worth $648.9 million in 2016, and is expected to hit $4,389.8 million in the next five years.

It’s not just robotics

The agriculture industry is getting smarter at using its data too. Tech startup agtools is helping farmers maximize their crop, by using AI tools to plan their harvest. It then works as a communication system: consumer trends and crop data > farmer > product data > retailers and buyers. Buyers are given information about market availability, surplus and pricing shifts. In between, shipping companies receive data and insights, helping them plan the most efficient timing and routes. The final product is a smart, connected supply chain.

Startups in the industry saw a 43% increase in funding from 2017 to 2018, and it’s not expected to stop any time soon.

Are you developing agriculturural robotics or technology? Did you know your work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’s largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Top Iowa Universities team up to be at the forefront of bioscience innovations

forefront of bioscience automated farming equipment

Iowa has been viewed as a leader in bioscience innovation with the University of Iowa and the Iowa State University working together to produce a variety of agricultural solutions. Both universities have been awarded a two year see grant worth $50,000 as an initiative towards developing the projects which include seeing how gut bacteria treat chronic diseases, improving weather forecasts for precision agriculture and better preventative vaccines for livestock.

The grant is supported by the offices of the Vice President for Research at the University of Iowa and the Iowa State University. The aim was to encourage innovative research and development to take place, contributing to one of Iowa’s leading industries.

Marty Scholtz, University of Iowas vice president for research said ” these grants are an example of the potent impact faculty and universities can have when they work side by side. And it’s a testament to the common vision and passion that the University of Iowa and Iowa State University bring to the task of addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.”

Furthermore, Iowa State University’s vice president for research, Sarah Nusser commented, “the biosciences represent a significant growth engine for Iowa’s economy, and research is the fuel that drives this growth. This valuable program helps our institutions create an innovation ecosystem to accelerate identifying and translating scientific breakthroughs that ultimately lead to new commercialized bioscience technologies and innovations.”

Winning bioscience projects for 2019 include:

  • Treating chronic disease with immunotherapies developed from gut bacteria
  • Improving weather forecasts with better digital data
  • Better vaccines against swine and avian flu

Below are several Iowa universities currently tackling different challenges of tomorrow:

  • Iowa State University and the University of Iowa are creating joint team’s that’ll work together to use gut bacteria to produce better vaccines against avian/swine flu, improve weather predictions for precision farming, and treat chronic diseases. 
  • Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has been developing vaccines to eradicate and control animal ailments, while at the same time providing an ultra-modern teaching hospital. The college is also offering veterinary services that protect human and animal health by offering effective diagnostic testing to thousands of farmers each year. 

To top it off, these universities leverage almost $1.5 billion in external funding each year and have efficient procedures in place for technology transfer, which when coupled together allow innovative technologies to move into commercialization faster. 

 

 

Borden Dairy Company Makes a Comeback with a New R&D Center

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Founded more than a Century ago, Borden Dairy Company has re-emerged with new leadership, ownership, a focus on its people, a confident vision to regain its position as the undisputed front-runner in the dairy sector, and a new research and development center that will allow them to launch new, groundbreaking products.

As you may remember, Borden is a legacy dairy firm, credited with inventing the use of glass milk bottles more than 130 years ago and also being the first American Dairy Company to utilize the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspection Shield back in the 1960s.

As it makes a comeback, the new CEO at the company is Tony Sarsam, who boasts more than 30 years of experience in the food sector having worked with companies such as Nestle and PepsiCo. Before taking on Borden, he was the CEO at Ready Pac Foods where he managed to guide the firm to an astounding 60 percent growth in less than five years.

Better yet, to help Borden reclaim its position, Sarsam re-established the sales and marketing functions, then added a new R&D team that will help the firm unveil new products.

At the center of this intense comeback is also Borden’s iconic spokes-cow, the Mascot Elsie, who has been awarded a new modern look. Elsie first appeared in 1936, and was soon after named by AdAge as one of the Top 10 Advertising Icons of the 20th Century.

“Despite not having made marketing investments in recent years, the Borden brand still holds a lot of equity, driven by over 150 years of dairy leadership,” said Joe DePetrillo, Borden’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Elsie remains a beloved and iconic representation of this proud heritage with people of all generations. For these reasons, we wanted our brand refresh to be evolutionary in nature rather than revolutionary. We were mindful to respect the familiarity and trust Elsie has earned, while ensuring that our brand stays relevant to today’s consumer.”

Fish 2.0 Event For Aquaculture Innovators – Feb 2019

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Investors, experts and seafood industry leaders will meet for the Fish 2.0 networking event on February 12-13, 2019. The session will be held at the Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center at the University of Southern Mississippi and will discuss US Gulf Coast and Midwest aquaculture.

Over 20 pitches from local aquaculture businesses will take place and participants will be able to tour the center, which provides an opportunity to see advanced technologies and discuss pressing issues in the industry.

Fish 2.0 aims to provide local businesses with tools and networking opportunities to grow. Director Kelly Lucas states that, “Marine aquaculture is growing, and advances in techniques, gear, automation and products occur in a moment’s notice. Connecting entrepreneurs and investors helps get these developments into the marketplace.”

Aquaculture is vital to the US in terms of seafood production, creating jobs and developing sustainable practices. Shellfish and finfish producers in particular are quickly expanding in the region.

The event is free to attend. Registrations must be completed online.

 

Seed Innovation Crucial For Future Food Production

seed innovation food security

Seed innovation can result in better food production from the same amount of land while also helping to tackle global sustainability and health issues. With an estimated population of 9 billion people by 2050, sustainability and increased yield are crucial goals for agricultural R&D projects. Crop improvements can benefit the environment through decreased energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, irrigation, soil erosion and land use.

Increased knowledge in plant genomics and bioinformatics is allowing for advanced plant breeding and crop improvement. Innovations include pest and disease solutions, increased plant tolerance to particular environments, higher yields and higher quality crops. Drought and flood resistant crops are in strong demand, with farmers experiencing the enhanced effects from global warming.

Furthermore, consumers are favouring fewer chemicals, more nutrition, fresher fruit and vegetables and a longer shelf life. Longer shelf life results in less waste, the retention of more nutritional content and better tasting food. Examples of seed innovation that you may be familiar with include seedless watermelon, baby broccoli, snack-sized peppers and tear-less onions.

The development of new varieties of plants involves a lot of work, requiring breeding, seed selection, trials, land, facilities and more. The project can cost around a million dollars a year and often takes between seven to ten years. To make the investment worthwhile, many breeders are applying for intellectual property rights for their innovations.

If your company is participating in seed innovation, you are likely eligible for the R&D tax credit, which can reduce your tax bill. Contact us for an eligibility assessment.

Reducing Agriculture Footprints in Dallas: Eden Green Technology develops Crisply, an optimal plant growth process

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A Dallas-based vertical farming company is revolutionizing how food is produced. Eden Green Technology’s Crisply is flaunting its lush, emerald green produce as a cleaner and safer alternative to traditional agriculture methods.

Soil, which can contain E. coli and Listeria, both of which have had their shining moments in American headlines as of late, poses more risks and has less of a yield when producing greens. In comparison, Eden Green’s vertical farming techniques require less water and land than traditional soil methods. The company has reportedly also reduced its cooling costs by one-eighth when compared to other greenhouse methods.

Free of pesticides, herbicides and chemicals, Eden Green uses a vine system where each plant is enclosed in a microclimate bubble. “We perfected this transformative vertical closed-loop solution to flow water, nutrients, oxygen and sunlight into the plants’ microclimate at the perfect ratio, in order to optimize the natural powers of photosynthesis to maximize output for people who need it most,” the company website boasts.

The seeds used are organic and non-GMO. All plants are grown under natural light and grow year-round. Eden Green expects to grow 10 to 15 harvests a year with a crop loss of 1%. This is a massive improvement when compared to traditional soil-growing, which yields two harvests with a crop loss of 30%. With these facts and figures, Eden Green is believed to be the first vertical farm with the scalability to meet the produce needs of regional food distribution systems.

“We pick our produce, package the same-day, and stamp the date when they are harvested on the package, so consumers know exactly how fresh their salads are. We also make it possible for our retail partners to put our produce on their shelves immediately after they’ve been harvested, in some cases that same day. No other company does that,” said Jaco Booyens, Eden Green’s co-chair.

The Crisply line will debut in Texas Walmart stores come mid-July. More information about Eden Green Technology and Crisply can be found by clicking here and here respectively.

Are you developing agriculture solutions? Are you reducing environmental impacts within agriculture? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services to the state of Texas. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Eating crickets not just a fad: the protein empire of Austin-based Aspire Food Group

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With the holiday season just around the corner, you’re probably figuring out what to serve as a main course for your protein-hungry guests. Maybe turkey? Ham? Beef? Or how about crickets? Enter: Aspire Food Group, an Austin-based company promoting and developing insect products for mainstream food consumption. While crickets as a main course is still way off into the future, the company has already introduced a line of cricket-based foods, from snacks to protein shakes and even dog treats.

Protein consumption is on the rise in the United States. Production of traditional protein sources like meat, however, require massive amounts of land, energy, and water. With increasing demand, meat production alone can’t keep up. Mehmood Khan of PepsiCo Inc. aptly observed, “If we look around the world, there’s a big consumer trend on more protein. The question is: How are we going to do this in a manner that’s sustainable? Protein isn’t cheap. And animal protein has the greatest footprint on the planet.”

At the same time, the consumer demand for meat alternatives is on the rise. Sales of meat substitutes in the United States have increased to $700 million in 2016 and projections indicate that by 2021, annual U.S. sales of meat substitutes will amount to $863 million. Vegan products have also grown in global popularity, with a reported $9.7 billion in worldwide retail sales this year. By 2021, this number is expected to hit $11.8 billion.

Developing alternatives to meat isn’t easy. One needs a little flare and creativity to make a product that is cost-effective and doesn’t negatively affect flavor or texture so that it is still palpable to consumers. Drawing on the fact that nearly two billion people in the world already eat insects, Aspire Food Group hopes to introduce the critters to the American palate. Mohammed Ashour, the company’s CEO, said, “There’s definitely a psychological hurdle. A lot of insects are just simply gross to look at. This isn’t an overnight shift.” To help ease consumers into eating insects, Aspire Food Group developed a cricket powder known as Aketta that can be used in protein bars and cookies. It also developed whole-roasted crickets that come in familiar flavors like Texas BBQ and sour cream and onion. The response has been positive, with many pleasantly surprised at how tasty crickets can be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLpuQN2MtMWmfJ716Rb1oUFZLETsXAGQ4F&v=gXcCc0cu7Vs

Insects are more sustainable to farm than livestock and Aspire Food Group’s farming practices prove how green and clean insect farming can be. Using autonomous robotics, internet-of-things (IoT), proprietary sensor technology, and a wide range of other tools, the company is ensuring its process is sustainable and effective.  It is even on track to implement a zero-waste system. As the first automated cricket farm in the world, Aspire Food Group is a pioneer in the industry of insect farming and it hopes to launch more farms across the globe.

Are you experimenting with protein alternatives to meat? Or developing more sustainable, automated farming practices like Aspire Food Group? You could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and get up to 14% back on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.