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| ©Electric New Paper |
| Mr Sebestian Chua (left) and his brother, Dr. Richard Chua, hope the EsmoSphere will add another level of protection over food storage. |
Every day, tonnes of uncooked meat in our supermarkets, restaurants and hotels are destroyed before reaching their recommended shelf life.
Even with refrigeration, meat still spoils easily because the temperature is not always consistent and has to be thrown away.
Last year alone, almost half-a-million tonnes of food waste were incinerated.
Now, thanks to a local company, Esmo Technologies, the amount of spoiled raw meat can be cut by about a third, simply by placing a specially modified magnet next to it in the refrigerator.
It also helps preserve other foodstuff.
The palm-sized magnet, called an EsmoSphere, is a world-first invention by Dr Richard Chua, 42, who has filed for patents both locally and internationally.
In response to his application, the International Searching Authority's official written opinion said that his use of magnetism to control dehydration rates in food are considered 'novel' and 'inventive' as no other invention has the same claims.
Dr Chua worked for 12 years as an industrial research engineer before going back to Nanyang Technological University for his doctorate research.
He delved into the little-known field of bio-magnetics, which looks at how magnetic fields influence biological processes.
After discovering new techniques of energising magnets and understanding how cells respond to magnetic energy, he set up Esmo Technologies in 2004 with three of his siblings.
Dr Chua said: 'Throwing away food is a waste of resources and energy. To maintain food freshness, refrigeration is presently the most used method, but there's always dehydration.
'Also, because it's not possible to ensure that food is kept at constant low temperatures throughout the supply chain, freshness will be affected during packaging and transportation.'
EXTRA PROTECTION
Although fridges have features to reduce odours or bacteria through improved air circulation, these are not effective to preserve freshness of meat because meat is often wrapped in plastic.
When plenty of food is stored together, the food will deteriorate even faster, Dr Chua said.
With the EsmoSphere, refrigerated food can remain fresh because the magnet emits a dome-shaped magnetic field (see graphics at right) that strengthens the bonds between water molecules in the food.
With stronger bonds, water loss is reduced, so raw meat which is placed within the EsmoSphere's protection zone does not become dehydrated.
The EsmoSphere's magnetism also delays bacterial growth and slows down oxidation, which causes discoloration.
The EsmoSphere, which comes in different sizes and costs between $40 and $80, does not require an electrical source and its magnetic field remains effective for three years.
Dr Chua, who uses it in his fridge, said: 'Some of our clients were concerned at first about the strength of the magnets, but we assured them that it conforms to World Health Organisation's safety guidelines.
'The EsmoSphere's magnetic strength is like that of a fridge magnet or handbag with a magnetic catch.'
One of Dr Chua's most enthusiastic clients is Indoguna, which supplies food to Singapore's major supermarkets such as NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage and Carrefour, as well as many five-star hotels here, like Grand Hyatt, Marina Mandarin and Shangri-La.
In a supermarket trial conducted over three months from the end of last year to early this year, the EsmoSphere helped save an average of a few thousand dollars per outlet.
Meat remained fresh for three days, which is the recommended shelf life. Before the EsmoSphere was used, meat had to be thrown after just two days.
In addition, 40 per cent less seafood was thrown away.
Mr Bryan Chia, sales executive for Indoguna, told The New Paper: 'We feel that Dr Chua's invention is a very good idea.
'We emphasise quality and freshness so the EsmoSphere adds another level of protection over our food supplies.'
Indoguna worked with Esmo Technologies to modify the EsmoSphere design. The earlier model was a large tray but the newer model is lighter and more portable.
Dr Chua's brother, Sebestian, 39, who is head of production, said: 'We're continually researching on how to improve the products.
'It's exciting because very few people know how to work with such technologies and materials.'
He added that the EsmoSphere is especially useful during new year celebrations, when there tends to be a lot of extra food.
Mr Chua said: 'Even if the fridge breaks down, the food can remain fresh.'
Comment: Esmo Technologies has also invented a handy, dandy magnet which 'ages wine' and 'softens hard liquor'. You can try it but you need to go to Singapore.