Afyren develops eco-friendly pest control solution to protect crops used in cosmetics ingredients
Author: Austyn King
Afyren, the French ingredients manufacturer, has developed a new eco-friendly solution to protect tree crops from pests in partnership with biocontrol start-up Cearitis. The company provides bio-based organic acids for cosmetics and fragrance applications as well as the food and pharmaceutical industries, which are designed to be an environmentally friendly replacement for the petroleum-based molecules that are commonly used by industries. Now, Afyren has partnered with Cearitis on a new system that protects tree orchards from pests such as fruit flies, without damaging the environment or biodiversity. The insects are said to cause up to US$10bn worth of damage to tree crops worldwide, including those with many cosmetics industry applications such as olives, cherries, red fruits, almonds and citrus fruit. For the two-part Push&Pull system, Afyren worked with Cearitis to develop a repellent solution which is sprayed over tree orchards and is said to form a natural barrier to prevent fruit flies from damaging crops. The system also features an outside solution to attract fruit flies and deflect them into a trap, with only the targeted insects captured so as not to impact biodiversity, according to the companies. “It combines technological, environmental, and societal performance by allowing orchardists to secure their crops while anticipating the regulatory changes that will probably limit or prohibit the use of chemical plant protection products in the future," said Canale and Parola.