Ensuring food safety and freshness has never been more crucial, especially with the growing concerns of food waste and health risks impacting both consumers and the environment. BioTip, an innovative company, is tackling this global challenge by developing innovative technology that empowers people to stay informed about the quality and safety of their food in real time.
Led by CEO Zur Granevitze, a seasoned expert in Ag-Tech and Food-Tech, BioTip is revolutionizing how we manage food quality and safety, providing businesses and consumers with the tools they need to reduce waste, prevent spoilage, and ensure fresher, safer food every day.
Let’s delve into the interview details below!
Could you please introduce yourself and describe your role within the company?
My name is Zur Granevitze, and I hold a PhD in Population Genetics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. For over a decade, I immersed myself in the Ag-Tech industry, where I had the privilege of leading R&D teams, driving innovative technology development, and spearheading numerous groundbreaking projects. Food freshness is a massive global challenge and results in waste of good food and / or consumption of spoiled food. Those two consequences have an annual impact of $100’s B on health, food waste and environment.
Five years ago, my team and I at BioTip set out on a mission to revolutionize how food freshness is conceived. Harnessing advanced technological approach, we developed a proprietary sensor that detects food freshness with remarkable precision, transforming the way we handle and consume food. This journey has been both challenging and exhilarating, but the impact of our work makes it all worthwhile.
What inspired you to pursue a career in food safety testing, and how has your journey in this field evolved?
I transitioned from Ag-Tech to Food-Tech driven by a single idea: creating a sensor to measure food freshness. Growing up, fresh food was a constant topic in my family, sparking my curiosity early on. The opportunity to transform this concept into a tangible product that addresses a massive global challenge was incredibly compelling to me. I wanted to develop a solution that could make a real difference in how the world thinks about and manages food quality and safety. And that’s exactly what we’re doing today.
In your opinion, what are the most significant challenges facing the food safety testing industry today, and how is your company addressing these challenges?
Food safety is a vast and complex field, with many facets: from the variety of microbes that can grow in our food to concerns about allergens and harmful chemicals like pesticide residues. At BioTip, we’ve developed an innovative technology based on a sensor, that is embedded on a sticker, that can detect specific substances in food and report through color change.
Our first product focuses on sensing the level of microbes in food. When the total microbial count exceeds the recommended threshold, the sticker changes color, providing a clear and immediate indication; It measures the overall microbial load, which is crucial for assessing food quality and safety. Our technology empowers consumers and food producers alike to stay informed (in real time) and proactive about the food they produce / ship / store and eat.
Can you elaborate on your company’s core competencies and what distinguishes it from other food safety testing organizations in the market?
At BioTip, we’ve developed a highly reliable technology that directly measures the microbial load on food products like meat, fish, and poultry. What sets us apart is the simplicity and ease of our sensor—just like applying a sticker. Unlike the current standard practice, our sensor provides continuous, real-time monitoring of the root cause of spoilage – microbial load, at an attractive price point.
This means we’re not limited to a single snapshot in time. Our cost-effective sensor can be applied to every food package, allowing consumers to know the exact status of their food at any moment, right in their own homes. BioTip transforms food quality and safety from a periodic check to a continuous and accurate safeguard.
How does your company stay at the forefront of technological advancements in food safety testing, and could you share an example of a recent innovation you’ve implemented?
At BioTip, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation in food safety testing. With our multidisciplinary team of microbiologists, food technologists and chemists. We’ve developed a groundbreaking food freshness technology, protected by two patents, underscoring our commitment to staying ahead in the field.
We are planning for a commercial launch in early 2025.
To maintain our edge, we actively engage with the global industry, collaborate with academic institutions, and participate in key conventions. These connections help us stay updated on the latest advancements and continue driving our own innovations forward. Moving forward we are working on new generations and usability of our freshness sensors as well on new functionality and food metrics that we will enable their measurement – driving transparency, reducing health risk, saving cost and protecting the environment as a result of food waste reduction.
What strategies does your organization employ to ensure the highest standards of accuracy and reliability in your testing processes?
At BioTip, we prioritize the highest standards of accuracy and reliability in our testing processes. Our sensors undergo rigorous testing both internally and at certified external labs. Each test includes strict controls to ensure top-tier performance.
We also conduct cross-lab testing, where the same sample is evaluated in parallel by two different labs. This approach allows us to verify consistency and ensure that our results are always precise and dependable.
How does your company navigate the complex landscape of international food safety regulations, and what measures do you take to maintain compliance across different regions?
Navigating the complex landscape of international food safety regulations is no easy task, but we have a clear strategy. From the start, we chose to use only components pre-approved for food contact by the FDA and the EU, simplifying compliance and avoiding the need to get new materials approved. While this approach makes development more challenging, it ultimately streamlines our path to market.
To ensure we stay aligned with regulations, we work closely with regulatory consultants across different regions throughout the entire process—from development to commercialization. Recently, we expanded our activities to South America, where we’ve begun securing regulatory approvals. We’re partnering with local experts to help us obtain the necessary certifications and smoothly navigate regional requirements.
Looking ahead, what developments or trends do you foresee shaping the future of food safety testing, and how is your company preparing for these changes?
Looking to the future, I envision a world where every food package comes equipped with a panel of sensors that instantly informs consumers about the food’s freshness, potential risks of spoilage, food poisoning, or allergens. This level of transparency and safety would revolutionize how we think about food.
At BioTip, we’ve already developed the first sensor for food freshness, and we’re eager to expand our platform with additional sensors in the future. Our goal is to create a suite of sensors that can support the entire supply chain, from production to the end consumer, ensuring quality and safety every step of the way.
We are committed to driving innovation in food safety testing and keeping consumers informed and protected.
