00:00One-third of all the protein is being wiped out.
00:02So we only have two-thirds of the food left
00:04to feed 10 billion people who are living in cities now.
00:08The food that you and me eat,
00:09more than 90% is actually imported.
00:11The reality for Singapore is that we are not really food secure.
00:15In this series, we'll explore how innovative technologies
00:18and local initiatives are rethinking the way we produce and consume food.
00:25Welcome to Future Food,
00:26where we explore the food production of tomorrow.
00:31To get an overview of the food landscape in Singapore,
00:34I head to A-Star to speak to an expert.
00:38So Ming Hao, can you tell me more about what you do here
00:40and what does SIFB?
00:43Yes, SIFB.
00:44What does SIFB do?
00:46At SIFB, we do a lot of research into food,
00:49but more specifically into future foods.
00:52So we try to reimagine what people would eat in future
00:55and how technology can help enable some of that.
00:58On that note, why does Singapore need to think about alternative food sources?
01:02I think the key point is that the food that you and me eat,
01:07more than 90% is actually imported.
01:09So the reality for Singapore is that we are not really food secure.
01:13And because of that,
01:15we should invest in the ability to produce food locally
01:18so that we have the ability to feed ourselves
01:21should there be a time of need.
01:22So what does the future of food research look like?
01:25There'll be more and more people who are a little bit more elderly.
01:28So we also try and spend quite a bit of time
01:31in understanding for this group of elderly population
01:35what kind of food will enable them to eat better
01:38instead of just drinking milk powder and things which are not very delicious.
01:44So how is SIFB involved in the development and promotion of novel foods?
01:48Firstly, novel foods is a category of foods
01:51that are basically not your traditional kind of food
01:54that is not like your eggs, your chicken,
01:57but rather, let's say, plant-based nugget, right?
02:00It's kind of a new category of food.
02:02That's why we call it novel.
02:04What SIFB is doing is a few things.
02:06For example, we work with your polytechnics
02:10as well as your universities
02:11to better understand for this category of novel food,
02:15how do we improve the flavours, the textures,
02:19as well as the nutritional profile of some of these foods.
02:22But the second big category when you talk about food
02:25is that food needs to be made at scale, right?
02:28Scale means you need to make a lot of it, you need to make it cheaply.
02:32So that's one more area which actually we're working quite closely
02:35with one of our partners, Temasek, via their subsidiary called Murasa.
02:39They have set up this entity called the Food Tech Innovation Centre.
02:42And the idea is that we are able to bring some of the technologies in the lab
02:47to at least pilot and kind of test it out, right?
02:50So what are the current trends in the food landscape
02:52and what are SIFB's efforts to contribute to a sustainable future?
02:57One of the current trends I would say is
03:00a move towards more sustainable ways of production.
03:02So an example of what SIFB is doing in this space
03:05is that we're looking at food waste valorisation.
03:08Valorisation means how do you turn waste into things that are more valuable.
03:12The challenge there is like, you know, the hawker centre food that you and me eat.
03:16So how do we then work with what we call this heterogeneous waste,
03:19means like waste that is kind of very different in composition.
03:24How do we deal with it and in a cheap, resource-efficient way,
03:28turn it into more valuable stuff?
03:29That's something that we're constantly thinking about.
03:33In my quest for deeper insights,
03:35I head to the West Coast to speak with an expert who invests in food tech companies.
03:42So Kelvin, can you give me an overview of urban farming
03:45and its significance in Singapore?
03:48It's important because we are a city-state, right?
03:52Our country is our city and land is limited.
03:57So you need to grow it.
03:58You need to cultivate it.
04:01That's urban farming.
04:03In the Singapore context, it's been challenging to say the least,
04:08but it's not just about having the right equipment,
04:12having the right climate,
04:15but it's also about the soft skills,
04:18the ability to understand how plants grow,
04:22the ability to understand what kind of seeds work with what kind of soil conditions,
04:27or even what kind of hydroponic conditions.
04:30Today, we're delving into the fascinating world of genomic agriculture
04:34and we're headed to SingGrow to find out more about their climate-resistant strawberries.
04:46I'm here today with Dr. Pao,
04:47who is the founder of SingGrow and also an experienced researcher
04:51specialising in plant physiology and molecular biology.
04:55So Dr. Pao, what inspired you to start SingGrow?
04:58The short answer to this is I found that strawberries in the Singapore market are not very tasty.
05:04So there are actually two different types of strawberries in the world.
05:07The everbearing type, which is more commonly seen in Singapore,
05:11and the seasonal bearing, which is more tasty, sweeter,
05:15but it's usually grown in Japan, China and Korea,
05:19and it's only available in certain seasons.
05:21So what are everbearing strawberries?
05:24Everbearing type of strawberries are commonly grown in US, Australia, European countries.
05:30It has higher yield and it has a longer shelf life as well.
05:34That's why it becomes easier for long-distance transportation.
05:38While for the seasonal bearing strawberries,
05:40it can only grow under a temperature range of around 10 to 25 degrees Celsius.
05:46That's why in tropical countries like Singapore,
05:48we cannot really grow it under natural weather conditions.
05:51So Dr. Pao, how do you modify the strawberries' DNA so they can thrive at higher temperatures?
05:56What we have been doing is called molecular breeding.
05:59What we are building is actually a platform technology.
06:02We use our deep knowledge on plant genomics.
06:06We specifically target individual genes by either crossbreeding them
06:11or use genomic technology to target that fragment.
06:16For example, for our heat-resistant strawberries,
06:19by silencing that heat-responsive genes,
06:21the plants will be less sensitive to the temperature change.
06:25Then we can use other ways like precision farming technology
06:28to promote the plants to start flowering without really cooling down the temperature.
06:33So that's how we develop such heat-resistant strawberries.
06:37And this is actually the first time in the world.
06:39So I understand you guys provide a harvesting experience as well.
06:43It sounds like a lot of fun and I would love to have some hands-on experience.
06:46I've got two friends here with me, so why don't we go ahead and try some harvesting?
06:51Sure, sure.
06:52So I have Iris and Justin here with me to join me on this strawberry harvesting experience.
06:58Are you guys excited?
07:00Yes, very excited.
07:01Come on, let's go!
07:09Okay, there's a few variants of strawberries inside, mainly red and white.
07:13Across the whole farm, you can just walk around and see which strawberries you want to harvest.
07:18So usually when you see a strawberry that's green, it means that it's not ripe.
07:22So for the red strawberries, when you see the whole strawberry itself becoming fully red,
07:28then it means that they are actually fully ripened.
07:30For the white strawberries, the seeds become all red.
07:33So it's a contrast.
07:34And then this air shower will blow off the rest of the pests on the body, on the shirt.
07:40Okay?
07:41So, you're welcome.
07:54Ooh, I found a big one!
07:57I'm really greedy.
08:01Oh, it's a bit hard.
08:02Oh, there we go.
08:03Great!
08:06In this controlled environment, we control everything the plant needs,
08:10including the nutrient feeding, the water content.
08:13For example, for the control group, we give everything perfect to the plants.
08:17Well, for the treatment group, we change certain settings.
08:21Maybe we give them less water content to create a drop stress to the plants.
08:25Then we further study the response from the plants in such a way we can measure the plants' response.
08:30And we can build up a database and digitalise this whole process.
08:36You mentioned earlier that you put the plants in different conditions.
08:39How do you measure their reactions to these conditions?
08:42We apply a set of different sensors to understand the plant response.
08:47For example, the VOC sensor or digital nose.
08:51Basically, it's a sensor that can capture the smell, the chemical compound released by the plant.
08:57So, Andrew, what's a VOC sensor and what does it do?
09:00Okay, a VOC sensor is actually a volatile organic compound sensor.
09:04Okay, it sensors our farms, whether the plants are actually stressed or not.
09:09And then it also tests whether there's any pesticide use in the farm.
09:13So, how does it test for stress in plants exactly?
09:16Okay, this sensor transmits all the data through the cloud.
09:19And then from the cloud, we actually have these sensor points over here.
09:23So, if there's any abnormalities, like for example, some spikes may show that plants are actually stressful.
09:29Maybe the water level is too high or maybe the nutrient content is too low.
09:34So, they will actually show up in this manner.
09:37Is there such a thing as optimum stress level or is it just like no stress is the best?
09:42No, actually plants do like stress.
09:45For example, we can stress them to develop more flowers.
09:48We can stress them to develop more runners.
09:50And then they will just grow faster and be more resilient to other pests.
09:54But if you stress them out too much, they might go, I give up?
09:57Yes, that's the way.
09:59Just like people.
10:01What other crops are you working on with this technology?
10:04Using this, we have been working with palm oil, mango trees, many different types of fruiting trees.
10:11And an interesting spice called saffron.
10:14We're able to grow saffron multiple times a year versus the natural saffron farming practice in Iran,
10:21which they can only harvest one time a year.
10:24So, how does this benefit Singapore?
10:26Because we don't have traditional agriculture practice, we cannot rely on a vast scale of land to produce our food.
10:35We cannot rely on traditional agriculture sectors to feed us.
10:39We must come up with something new, try to be independent from day one.
10:43So, that's the good part to force us to adopt the latest knowledge and technology.
10:48It's amazing. Stress makes us thrive, just like the strawberries.
10:53Yes, exactly.
10:54That's it for today on this episode of Future Food.
10:58We've seen how genomic agriculture is helping to create sustainable food solutions right here in Singapore.
11:05From sweet strawberries to innovative farming practices, the future of food looks promising.
11:12In the next episode, we will be exploring the idea of getting protein out of thin air.
11:20Sounds intriguing?
11:21Then join us for the next episode as we delve into this groundbreaking technology
11:26to discover its potential to revolutionise food production.
11:30Thanks for joining us and we'll see you next time on Future Food.
11:35Singapore, do the best you can.
11:40So, how was that for you?
11:41Look at her, she's so pretty.
11:45Oh, look at her, she's so productive and fruitful.
11:50Reproductive, reproductive.
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