Innovations

The Rotatable Fish Drying Frame is aimed at formalising a specific fish-drying process already used by different communities in Africa. The frame allows for the drying of up to 100 kg of fresh fish at a time using the existing iteration. The key principle is that after one week of drying the drum

The Bambara Groundnut, or round bean, is widespread in Africa where it is known by various names. It has potential as a cash crop, owing to its nutritional composition, functional properties and antioxidant potential. Consequently, we at CPUT have used the Bambara Groundnut as a raw material to

LeguPro is a protein-rich pasta, which is produced from non-traditional pasta ingredients such as peanuts, soybeans, and chickpeas. It is a cost-effective nutrient-dense high protein, healthy instant noodle product and aims to give consumers an alternative staple food product to be consumed as is or

The Agricultural Research Council - Vegetable and Ornamental Plants ( ARC-VOP), which has a solid reputation as a leader in sweet potato R&D, has developed a new variety Khumo orange-fleshed sweet potato. A 60-gram serving of boiled roots of variety Khumo, supplies the recommended daily allowance

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

Currently, the ARC have three commercial cultivars, Ratel, Steenbok and Tredou. Ratel consists of a medium growth period whereas Steenbok consists of a short growth period with good drought tolerance making it suitable for areas with a dry climate. Tredou is the newest addition to the ARC cultivar

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

Joybells is a dark red, seedless grape cultivar ripening in the early mid-season (from mid-January in the Hex valley). Berries are crunchy with good attachment and excellent eating quality and have very good cold storage ability. Joybells’ maternal parent is Sunred, which has soft, green rudimentary

The product offers healthy bread naturally fortified by the nutrition of Amaranth. The bread contains high micronutrients including iron, zinc, vitamins A and C from the indigenous Amaranth species. The product offers a good opportunity for nutritional value and health benefits. Also, it provides

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