In 2021, we received funding from the European Union's Operational Program for the Development of Eastern Poland for a project worth nearly PLN 1 million to develop an intelligent mold risk monitoring platform - BIOmesh. 

The most important assumptions of the project were developed during incubation in the "Unicorn Hub Startup Platform". The project received a positive recommendation from Unicorn Hub, as well as an honorable mention at Demo Day for the best presentation of the project and the work of the team during the incubation.

The solution we are designing, which is based on a unique measurement model, based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), will provide pig farmers, grain processors, but also individual customers with an effective digital agriculture solution to combat poisonous mycotoxins from mold and losses related to climate change. 

Among others, two research units are participating in the project: The Pulawy State Veterinary Institute (PIWet-PIB) and the Institute of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization (IHAR-PIB), which are providing substantive support in the analysis of mold and mycotoxins. 

Mycotoxins are among the most toxic substances. They cause fatigue, food allergies, and severe and fatal diseases in humans and animals. They will not be destroyed by cooking or frying, and most do not succumb to UV radiation or chemical treatment. 

Techniques used in food preservation, such as marinating, freezing, or drying, are mainly aimed at stopping the proliferation of mold, as well as other pathogenic microorganisms. What is lacking, however, is effective prediction to take appropriate countermeasures. 

The BIOmesh project fits perfectly into the transformation of Agrotech and the implementation of the European Commission's announced strategy "From Farm to Fork," which assumes that every participant in the food chain, from producer to consumer, has a role to play in the functioning of a sustainable food system.

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