The Nestlé Global Board and Agricultural Research Council (ARC) delegation visited the CSIR Pretoria main site, on 4 September 2014 for the Project Morogo Summit.
The objective of the summit was to provide an update to the Executive Management of the CSIR, Nestlé and Agricultural Research Council (ARC) on Project Morogo since the signing of the CSIR/NRC/ARC framework agreement in March 2012, and to discuss future development plans.
The summit also aimed to provide a progress report on the commissioning and training of post-doctorate students on the TIM gastrointestinal simulation model, for which equipment was donated to the CSIR by Nestlé. This equipment will support the CSIR research on bioavailability of nutrients in foods, absorption of foods and drugs.
Project Morogo has been designed to deliver sustainable social and economic impact. Three highly nutritious indigenous vegetables (Cleome gynandra, Amaranthus cruentus, and Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)) have been identified through this collaboration, and plans are for their incorporation into our regular diet.
Dr Rachel Chikwamba, CSIR Group Executive: Strategic Alliances and Communication, welcomed the delegates and gave an overview of the CSIR. In her remarks, she said: “The CSIR aims to add value to biodiversity through health and industrial intervention. We aim to contribute to the development of a bioeconomy, and we are expected to play a major role in the implementation of the Department of Science and Technology’s Bioeconomy Strategy.”
Dr Rachel Chikwamba
Dr Thomas Beck, the Director at Nestlé Research Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland, highlighted that Nestlé always looks forward to sharing information with the CSIR. “We appreciate the warm welcome to the CSIR for the Morogo Summit. Nestlé is looking forward to strengthening the relationship we have with the organisation and exploring other possible areas of collaboration,” said Beck.
According to Tshidi Moroka, CSIR Acting Competency Area Manager: Natural Products and Agroprocessing: “The team is working towards a launch of the product in 2015/16. With each organisation having a role to play in the project; the ARC conducts research on the best cultivation methods for the leafy vegetables. The CSIR conducts research on processing of the leaves into stable dry ingredients with minimal nutrient loss. Nestlé conducts consumer studies, sensory evaluation and explores commercialisation of the ingredient.”
The visit also included a tour of the following CSIR facilities: Gene Expression and Biophysics, Biomedical Technologies, the Botanical Supplies Unit, Product and Process Development, and the National Centre for Nano Structured Materials.
12 September 2014
