Amazon Bioinnovation Challenge selects ten technologies

The Bioinnovation Amazon Challenge has selected ten technological proposals aimed at the sustainable use of the Amazon region's biodiversity. The initiative, organized by the Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon (Idesam) through ZÔMA, received nearly 500 applications from participants in over 80 countries.

Funded by the Bezos Earth Fund in partnership with Penn State University, the program connects researchers, entrepreneurs, and local communities to add value to socio-biodiversity production chains. The selected projects cover six technological areas, including the use of fruit waste, the development of functional starches, improvements to the Brazil nut supply chain, and the creation of products derived from Amazonian oils and rubber.

Key projects include a technology by BioExtrativa that transforms açaí pits into bioactive extracts through sustainable extraction, and a project to produce carotenoid-rich cosmetic ingredients from buriti waste. Other selected initiatives focus on using babaçu flour as a sensory modifier for cosmetics and utilizing babaçu and açaí resources for various industrial applications.