Innovations

Postharvest table grapes are susceptible to fungal infection even when stored at the optimal temperature of −0.5°C. The most important pathogen of stored Table Grapes is grey mould, which is caused by Botrytis cinerea. Some countries fumigate their grapes with sulphur dioxide gas. However, if the

This novel system allows for digital monitoring of payloads on heavy vehicles and avoids repetitive, physical weighing of compliant vehicles at static weighbridges to check overloading status. This is achieved by digitally linking all weighbridges and existing or new cameras on a specific corridor

Surfactants are amphipathic molecules with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties that partition preferentially at the interface between fluid phases such as oil/water or air/water interfaces. Such characteristics confer excellent detergency, emulsifying, foaming, and dispersing traits, which

The collection and preservation of biological material for further DNA and RNA analysis are critical to many biomedical fields, from medical diagnostics to forensics and biodiversity conservation. The Forensic DNA lab at the University of the Western Cape has developed a novel, proprietary DNA

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an aquatic weed which has one of the highest growth rates of all plants in the world. This fast-growing plant causes numerous problems in water bodies. These problems are related to navigation, recreation, irrigation and hydropower generation. The complete

The Natural Biostimulant developed at the University of the Western Cape is a proudly South African, cost-effective, safe, natural and organic botanical fertiliser with promising commercial applications in the agriculture sector. Derived from an indigenous plant extract, the product contains a

Almost 1 million South African Deaf people use South African Sign Language (SASL) as their primary means of communication as often they cannot speak, read nor read lips in any of the eleven official spoken/textual languages. This multi-ethnic group comprises Deaf South Africans who are largely

Baobab LIMS is an African-led innovation that was developed as part of the B3Africa consortium. It is an affordable sample and laboratory management tool for biobanking that has been implemented in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which previously (due in part to financial constraints)

South Africa harbours the highest number of rape incidents in the world, and sexual assault and rape cases in the entire SADC region are estimated at a minimum of 55 000 cases per year. Crime scene investigations utilise DNA technology on a regular basis. In cases of rape or sexual abuse, male

Connecting Communities Zenzeleni is a solar-powered, community-owned Wifi telecommunications network solution providing affordable communications to remote rural areas. Through the use of wireless mesh networking, users are able to make free internal voice-over IP calls, while the cost of breakout

Coarse particle transportation is essential for moving slurries, or fluids containing very high concentrations of pulverised solids, for example, hydraulic transport of coal ore or waste materials. Due to a scarcity of water and a high concentration of the solid particles, pipe blockages are common