This award recognizes the role of this company located in the University of Valencia Science Park (PCUV), which works with kaki by-products, especially those from the detrium, to transform them into a sheet of biomaterial with high plant content (75-80%) suitable for industrial uses in sectors such as automotive, fashion and transport
Persiskin, a company located in the scientific-business area of the University of Valencia Science Park (PCUV), has been awarded in the category Startup/Sustainable SMEs in the Alcance 3.0 awards, is recognized as a company that re-uses waste from fruit and vegetables to produce other industrial products.
Specifically, the company processes kaki by-products, especially detritus, into a sheet of biomaterial with high plant content (75-80%) suitable for industrial uses in sectors such as automotive, fashion and transport. This award not only recognizes the role of Persiskin as a way to reduce economic losses in the agricultural sector, but also rewards its boost in the local circular economy, generating industrial activity in the Valencia region and projecting cultivation towards new markets beyond fresh produce.
Jaime Sanfélix, CEO of Persiskin, stresses that this technology represents an opportunity to diversify and add value to a traditionally wasted part of production, and urges the sector to actively participate in its adoption
The technology of this SME is manufactured by extrusion and industrial coating processes and is currently in the stages of technical validation by approved laboratories in the automotive sector, a necessary step before its use in components such as seats and panels
More than 30 per cent of kakis production
In the Valencia region, more than 30% of the production of persimmon is discarded before it reaches the market because it does not meet the quality requirements for fresh consumption. This leads to estimated economic losses for farmers of between 18 and 25 million euros per year. Thus, this phenomenon is considered a structural problem of the sector due to factors such as pests, such as fly or cottonseed; adverse weather conditions and the lack of industrial alternatives for valuing discarded fruit.
Faced with this problem, the technology of Persiskin, once industrialized, could absorb several million kilos of scrap per year. For example, producing 1 m2 of its technology requires around 1 kg of fruit, which indicates a significant potential if adopted on a global scale, especially in automotive. These figures show that the detour could find a stable industrial outlet with demand in global value chains, reducing dependence on the traditional fresh market.
"Persiskin has progressed from a local laboratory to agreements with global players in the industry, such as Antolin, a worldwide supplier of automotive interiors. This places technology not only as an idea but as a solution with real experience in demanding markets," says Jaime Sanfélix, CEO of the company.
Open debate in the kaki sector on its implementation
In spite of the existence of this solution, some agricultural organisations are either expectant or conservative and not all have been actively involved in promoting it. Among the reasons for these misgivings is the preference for traditional solutions and public aid up to the reputational cost of supporting innovations that do not control.
Jaime Sanfélix stresses that this technology represents an opportunity to diversify and add value to a traditionally wasted part of production, and urges the sector to participate actively in its adoption, rather than waiting.
About Persiskin
Persiskin is a company founded in 2022 whose main objective is to provide a solution to the vegan leather problems of animal contamination and treatment, linked with animal leather and PVC, as well as giving a useful life to the non-commercial harvest of persimmons produced by Valencian farmers. Persiskin develops a vegan leather similar to animal leather as a possible substitute for synthetic material, but made with more than 75% of vegetable matter, mainly persimmon variety grown in the region of Ribera al Alta de Valencia.
In addition to production facilities near Valencia, it has its own R & D laboratory at the University of Valencia Science Park.
Don’t miss the monologue of Jaime San Félix, CEO of Persiskin, on Christmas day PCUV 2023
Source: Persiskin and Valencia Fruits