Podcast Summary: "The science of making fruits and veggies last longer"

TED Talks Daily | Speaker: Jenny Du
Date: August 20, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

In this episode, chemist and engineer Jenny Du explores the urgent problem of food waste—especially among fruits and vegetables—and presents an innovative, nature-inspired solution developed by her company, Apeel Sciences. By mimicking the structure of natural plant peels and applying edible plant-based coatings, Jenny and her team are extending the shelf life of produce without relying on refrigeration, plastics, or harmful chemicals. Her talk not only highlights the science behind their breakthrough but also discusses the broader impacts on food security, sustainability, and supply chain diversity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Food Waste Crisis (02:59)

• Jenny opens with a vivid metaphor:

  "When you pick a piece of fruit off a tree, it's like a ticking time bomb. It's literally this living and breathing thing that's slowly cannibalizing its own stores of energy and nutrients, just trying to stay alive until it ultimately gets eaten by microbes or some other animal like us." (03:00)

• Staggering statistics:
  • 1/3 of all food produced is wasted globally before it's eaten; for fresh produce, this rises to 1/2.
  • Waste happens at every step: farm, transport, store, restaurant, and home.
  • The environmental cost is massive—if global food waste were a country, it'd be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter.

2. The Limitations of Current Solutions (04:10)

• Current methods to preserve produce:
  • Refrigeration is energy-intensive and expensive; not globally accessible.
  • Pesticides and certain waxes involve health/environmental risks.
  • Plastic packaging contributes to pollution but doesn't solve the root problem.
• Outcome: Limited variety and nutrient-rich foods reach the market—only those that can survive the existing system.

3. Innovating by Mimicking Nature (05:28)

• Looking to nature for answers:
  • Plants protect themselves with a skin/peel called the plant cuticle, rich in fatty acids and glycerides.
  • "Can we take these harmless, edible plant based ingredients, apply them in a thin layer on the surface of fresh fruits and vegetables to help reinforce the existing natural peel?" (07:13)
• The breakthrough:
  • Developing an edible plant-based coating to reinforce the natural peel, extending freshness without refrigeration or plastics.

4. Early Experiments & Successes (07:40)

• First test with finger limes:
  • Used leftover tomato peels to create a coating, adding a full extra week of freshness.
  • Jenny recalls,

    "When we saw that for the first time, we were like, shut the front door. Oh my God, this might actually work." (08:18)

• Scaling up:
  • Applied the concept to many produce types: bananas, avocados, limes, beans, tomatoes, berries, cucumbers, peppers, and more.
  • Demonstrated preservation of taste and nutrients, even for delicate and perishable items.

5. Impact & Recognition (09:51)

• "Since 2021, when we started measuring, we've prevented 166 million pieces of produce from going to waste... avoided more than 29,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to planting 485,000 trees, and saved almost 7 billion liters of water." (10:40)

6. Addressing Diversity & Access (11:33)

• Support for small growers:
  • Coating allows unique, regional varieties (e.g., certain mangoes) to reach markets—even where refrigeration isn’t available.
• Market presence:
  • Regulatory approval in the US, EU, and 40+ countries; active in roughly 10 markets globally.

7. The Challenge of Industry Mindset (12:40)

• Some companies resist change, seeing waste as an accepted business model—“shrink” is just part of the process.

  "We've had some folks... tell us, 'Well, the waste bin is kind of my best friend. The more that people throw away, the more they have to come back and buy again.'" (13:09)

8. Optimism & Closing Reflections

• Jenny emphasizes collaboration:

  "We're not a silver bullet to end food waste ourselves. But thankfully, there are lots of startups, organizations, and individuals all around the world working to transform this post harvest space." (13:24)

• Final note: Small, plant-inspired innovations can contribute meaningfully to reinventing food systems and increasing abundance.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On food waste's scale:

  "If global food waste was a country, it'd be the third highest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the US." (04:02)

• On innovation:

  "It really takes so little material. The little bit of extra peel we add to an average avocado... that's equivalent in weight to a tenth of a small raisin." (09:14)

• On industry resistance:

  "The waste bin is kind of my best friend. The more that people throw away, the more they have to come back and buy again." (13:09)

Q&A Highlights with Lateef Nasser

Extending Avocado Shelf Life (13:33)

• Q: "How long could you extend the shelf life of an avocado?"
• Jenny:

  "In your experience... there's like a day, a day and a half when they're like perfect... Take that day and a half and extend it to four days. Like, maybe you're actually gonna have a chance to use it before you throw it away." (13:49)

Taste & Sensory Impact (14:08)

• Q: Do the coatings affect taste or smell?
• Jenny:

  "No, they're very neutral. So no taste, no smell... We've also done it with credible other institutions like universities doing these blind taste tests with strawberries and you can't tell that there's anything on them." (14:15)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:00 — Framing the food waste crisis
• 05:28 — Turning to nature: plant cuticles and peels
• 07:40 — First experiment with finger limes
• 09:51 — Measurable impact and statistics
• 11:33 — Making diverse, regional produce accessible
• 12:40 — Pushback from industry, challenges in changing mindsets
• 13:33 — Q&A: Avocados, taste tests, sensory details

Tone & Language

Jenny Du blends scientific detail with humor and storytelling—calling herself a "huge nerd" and recalling moments of surprise in the research with exclamations like "shut the front door." The conversation is hopeful and pragmatic, balancing the celebration of progress with honest acknowledgment of ongoing challenges.

Summary

This TED Talks Daily episode with Jenny Du offers a compelling overview of how plant-inspired science can reshape the global food system by extending the life of fruits and veggies in a sustainable, accessible way. Listeners come away with a deeper understanding of the food waste challenge, a glimpse into breakthrough innovation, and a sense of practical hope for reducing waste and increasing abundance through collaborative, nature-inspired solutions.