Zhang\u2019s \u201cumamification\u201d plan for mechanically deboned meat outlined a novel process to transform the lower-value product into a meat flake with high umami (savoury flavour), which would be stable at room temperature and have uses as a protein enhancer and snack food.<\/p>\n
A total of 42 entries were received, with Zhang beating four other finalists to secure a prize of up to $10,000 to develop a business case and progress the idea into a research project.<\/p>\n
Sirma Karapeeva, chief executive of the Meat Industry Association, said the high calibre of entries made selecting the five finalists and ultimately the winner challenging.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe competition recognised that many people have transformative ideas but may lack the resources to bring them to life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sought bold, innovative concepts in meat industry research and development that align with the Government\u2019s ambitious goal of doubling export value.\u201d<\/p>\n
While all the finalists deserved credit, Karapeeva said Zhang\u2019s idea stood out both for the innovative process proposed and the likelihood of global industry interest in such a product.<\/p>\n
Zhang said he was pleased to win the competition and get an opportunity to take the project to the next stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honoured to win this inaugural Dragon\u2019s Den event, and grateful to MIA for this opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have exciting opportunities to turn low-value streams from the meat industry into high-value, uniquely Kiwi products that can strengthen our global presence and add to our unique Kiwi taste profile.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to working with industry partners to bring this vision to life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dragon\u2019s Den final took place at the joint AgResearch-MIA Meat Innovation Workshop in Palmerston North on March 11.<\/p>\n
Contestants each had five minutes to pitch their ideas to the judging panel, followed by five minutes of Q&A with the judges and audience.<\/p>\n
The judging panel featured industry leaders, Sirma Karapeeva; Andrew Clark, investment manager, Ministry for Primary Industries sustainable food and fibre team; Steve Cartwright, business manager healthcare, ANZCO Foods; and Bruce Fyfe, general manager commercial, Auckland Meat Processors.<\/p>\n
Dragon\u2019s Den finalists<\/p>\n
AgResearch senior scientist, and Meat Industry Association Dragon’s Den winner, Renyu Zhang. Photo \/ Meat Industry Association<\/p>\n
Spray chill optimisation<\/p>\n
Using machine learning to train spray chillers and optimise automated processing of carcasses.<\/p>\n
Led by Frank Phillips from Fulcrum NZ Ltd and supported by his colleagues Kev O\u2019Reilly and Paul Nalder.<\/p>\n
Umamification of MDM – Winner<\/p>\n
Novel process to transform MDM into a meat flake for seasoning.<\/p>\n
The flake would have high umami, be room temperature stable, and have uses as a protein enhancer and snack food.<\/p>\n
Led by Renyu Zhang from AgResearch Limited.<\/p>\n
Nutrient-enriched meat<\/p>\n
Mixing meat and organs to produce foods for the elderly, athletes, and women into consumer-friendly formats.<\/p>\n
Led by Carolina Realini from AgResearch Limited.<\/p>\n
Mycelium-enhanced Hybrid Meat<\/p>\n
Mixing meat with mushroom mycelium, using dairy byproducts to produce a hybrid product rich in dietary fibre and with reduced fat and cholesterol.<\/p>\n
Led by Maya Tangestani from Mara Bio<\/p>\n
AI mapping of organ meats<\/p>\n
Using AI to design novel nutritional products, high in nutrients and low in production costs. Based on hyperspec mapping of organs.<\/p>\n
Led by Christine Tash and Yash Dixit of AgResearch Limited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Zhang\u2019s \u201cumamification\u201d plan for mechanically deboned meat outlined a novel process to transform the lower-value product into a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219907,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2840,1863,3390,6326,2841,132456,41721,3685,31178,1888,6637,16655,78,8454,72021,296,121522,6187,663,3822,3234,117,111,43,139,69,4517,6289,15406,762,3175,544,6182,1361,7563,10508,121521,379,80],"class_list":["post-219906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-across","tag-back","tag-best","tag-biggest","tag-country","tag-den","tag-dragons","tag-events","tag-favourites","tag-first","tag-gave","tag-glimpse","tag-in","tag-including","tag-industrys","tag-into","tag-livelihoods","tag-lives","tag-looks","tag-meat","tag-months","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-past","tag-readers","tag-red","tag-review","tag-rural","tag-some","tag-stories","tag-that","tag-those","tag-winner","tag-yarns","tag-year","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}