Transforming antimicrobial disinfectant solutions while combating food waste

Around the world, people are becoming more concerned about the hazards associated with traditional household cleaning and disinfectant products. For example, quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are commonly used in some cleaning agents, despite evidence that they can trigger health issues and cause harm to the environment.

Singapore-based startup N&E Innovations has come up with a novel approach to tackle this critical issue. In just four years, it has developed innovative antimicrobial technology that can convert bio-waste into powerful disinfectant products that are also safe and sustainable.

A strength of the startup’s core technology is that it can be applied in so many different ways – within baby and pet care products, for example, along with solutions for agriculture, plastics and food packaging.

Variety of products that N&E Innovations’ have embedded with their antimicrobial powder including face masks, disinfectant sprays, nylon threads and an assortment of food packaging. 

N&E Innovations co-founder Didi Gan had a highly personal motive for establishing her company. The biomedical graduate has long sought safe, natural products for her young children, who have eczema. Her experience working as the managing director of a Malaysian textile manufacturing mill also brought home the challenges of living in an unsustainable world.

“I saw with my own eyes how polluting many of our manufacturing processes are. I also knew that the standard organic alternatives to many household cleaning agents and disinfectants are really costly. I wondered why there weren’t better, cheaper ways to protect our Earth and the health of the next generation.”

This was the issue on Gan’s mind when, in February 2020, she met up for Chinese New Year drinks with an old friend, Jaslyn Lee. Along with a PhD in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Lee had over a decade of experience in food science R&D and was already experimenting with the technology that N&E Innovations would later commercialise. 

The two had a moment of inspiration. “We said: imagine if we could pool our passion and knowledge to create affordable disinfectant products from food waste that are a hundred per cent non-toxic and biodegradable? That night, N&E Innovations was born.”

Didi Gan (L) and Jaslyn Lee. Photo credit: N&E Innovations

The startup deploys patented core-shell technology to extract bioactive compounds with antimicrobial properties from food waste before incorporating them into formulations for organic disinfectants. 

“Our unique approach starts with mixing food byproducts such as cashew testa – the skin and husk covering cashew kernels – with other organic materials, including iron content from soybeans and crab shells. From this, we engineer an edible, non-toxic molecular coating we call VIKANG99,” explains Gan.

When VIKANG99 comes into contact with oxygen and moisture in the air, it generates chemically reactive molecules known as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). ROS can destroy the cell walls of microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses. When ROS’ antimicrobial properties are harnessed in disinfectant products, they form a chemical shell that can effectively target and destroy pathogens.

N&E Innovations’ VIKANG99 powder that is embedded into all their core products.

What really sets the company’s technology apart, however, is that VIKANG99 can generate ROS under any conditions, even in the dark. Conventional methods of harnessing ROS for antimicrobial purposes require exposure to light via a process known as ‘photocatalysis’ to produce the reactive molecules. 

This ability to continuously generate ROS in any environment means VIKANG99-based disinfectant products offer prolonged antimicrobial activity compared to traditional products. “Unlike disinfectants you see in the market that only work for about 30 seconds, ours have a shelf life of up to seven days,” Gan says.

N&E Innovations’ commercialisation journey began in Singapore in March 2020, when Gan and Lee (now the company’s Chief Technology Officer) began developing the Vi-MASK, a VIKANG99-coated medical-grade face mask, and its C2Plus range of organic disinfectant sprays. 

“When COVID-19 struck and lockdowns began, I set up a small food waste lab in my home. We knew we had an opportunity to capitalise on pandemic demand for antimicrobial items, so we worked to bring our first products to market as quickly as possible,” recalls Gan. 

A major milestone came when they raised SGD$3.59 million in a pre-seed funding round. Simultaneously, Gan and Lee began product development. Within nine months, the pair had a proof of concept (POC) for the Vi-MASK. For their C2Plus range, the team managed to come up with a workable POC within 18 months. 

“After a super intense process of trial and error, we launched both products in Singapore and Malaysia in 2021. They sparked immediate interest and sold really well,” Gan recalls. 

A big part of that success was due to support from the local startup community. “The Deep Tech ecosystem in Singapore is pretty close-knit. For example, we connect informally with other sustainability-focused startups via chat groups on instant messaging platforms. That’s invaluable for sharing experiences and getting advice and support.”

Another critical step for the fledgling company was speeding up getting its technology patented and obtaining various international certifications.
 
“Achieving aviation-grade certifications for C2PLUS made it easier to get the seal of approval from Airbus and Boeing, amongst others. That really helped us feel our tech’s unique and amazing qualities were being recognised,” Gan recalls.

Fast forward to today and the company now has 10 employees. It has also upcycled more than 2 tonnes of food waste since launching and established solid relationships with more than 35 corporate customers, including global groups based in Southeast Asia, Korea and Germany. 

Its C2Plus range is currently used for pathogen control in a wide range of commercial settings, including households, hospitals, airports and planes, offices and shopping malls.

At the same time, N&E Innovations is working to overcome new hurdles as it grows and scales up from a lab to a commercial operation. 

“It’s been tough finding a base here in Singapore that combines a laboratory with manufacturing space. A further issue has been locating the right mix of talent – we’re always looking for people with experience in R&D and manufacturing who also have a knack for sales,” Gan says.

Didi in the bioreactor room where the team bottles the products for their customers.
 

Finding consistent supplies of homogenous food waste – a crucial factor in the company’s production process – has been another challenge. Today, Gan obtains reliably homogenous supplies of cashew nut waste from Intersnack Group, a leading European savoury snacks company. Other key ingredients are sourced from suppliers in China. 

Looking ahead, the co-founders have ambitious plans to expand into new markets. The company is developing consumer applications for VIKANG99 that include all-natural antimicrobial coatings for items such as textiles, paint, and baby and pet care products. 

It is also researching VIKANG99’s application as a wastewater treatment to help purify polluted water and as an antimicrobial spray for fruit and vegetable cleaning and advanced crop protection. 

By December 2024, it aims to have launched a biodegradable, antibacterial food packaging range that can extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetables. “We’re also looking to embed VIKANG99 into a range of plastics and polymers to help turn these into smart, self-sanitising biodegradable materials,” Gan reports.

Strawberries and grapes (top) coated with N&E Innovations antimicrobial spray versus fruits that were left uncoated. 

Today, N&E Innovations is continuing to work with new industry partners to expand VIKAN99’s applications even further. 

In Gan’s words: “Four years in, we’re more determined than ever to keep putting our company’s mission into practice. That means using innovation to upcycle more of the world’s food waste and create innovative and sustainable products that can safeguard the health and wellbeing of future generations for years to come.” 

Learn more about Singapore’s fast-growing Deep Tech community and the startups that SGInnovate supports.