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Freza: a nanotech sachet that keeps produce fresh 30 days longer
A biodegradable sachet, roughly UGX 300, that keeps fruit and vegetables fresh up to 30 days longer — no refrigeration required.
Uganda loses a huge share of its fruit and vegetables before they ever reach a plate. Freza is a nanotechnology sachet that buys farmers and vendors weeks of extra shelf life for the price of a sweet.
The challenge
Post-harvest losses for fresh produce run as high as 50% in developing countries — tomatoes, bananas and papaya spoil within days, and more than 90% of perishable goods are never refrigerated.
For a smallholder that means selling in a hurry at a low price, or watching the harvest rot. The losses run into billions, and they fall hardest on women, who grow most of Uganda's food.
The approach
The team developed Freza, a small sachet placed inside a fruit box during storage or transport. It slowly releases a blend of safe, US FDA-approved molecules that inhibit phospholipase D — the enzyme that triggers membrane breakdown and ripening — so produce spoils far more slowly.
Fruits that normally last four or five days on a shelf stay sellable for up to 30 days longer, with no cold chain and no electricity.
Fruits that normally last five days on a shelf stay good to sell for an extra 30 days.
Results & impact
Freza gives farmers and vendors the one thing they never have: time to sell before produce goes bad — at a cost of roughly UGX 300 per sachet. It is biodegradable, needs no refrigeration, and is designed to reach the rural markets a cold chain will never serve.
The team is working with national agriculture agencies toward product standards, possible subsidies, and eventual approval for use on exports.
This research was funded by the Government of Uganda through the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund — one of a growing directory of projects turning national investment into real-world results.
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