For Immediate Release
SCiO CUP – Helping farmers save money on animal feeds, make more on grains and sell sweeter berries.
KrielTech brings SCiO CUP to Southern Africa – “We need quick and accurate measurements on farm inputs and products for smart decisions. Driving costs down and margins up is the name of the game for price takers i.e., farmers. SCiO Cup makes this possible within 10 seconds by connecting on our phone App.”- Gerhard Kriel, CEO
Bloemfontein, South Africa – 1 August 2022 – The SCiO Cup is available from KrielTech – (www.KrielTech.com).
FOR ANIMAL FEED – FORAGE
Measuring forage dry matter has usually involved drying samples in either a microwave or a Koster tester, taking multiple steps to figure out if the forage is ready for cutting. A Koster tester can take up to two hours to measure DM (Dry Matter).
KrielTech distributes the SCiO Cup, a smartphone-operated device that enables frequent DM analysis. The device is being deployed by Cargill and other leading feed and nutritionist brands in North America, according to Gerhard Kriel, CEO of KrielTech.
“The process is instant and simple: fill up SCiO Cup with green chop or silage, click the button once and get results on your phone within 10 seconds,” Kriel says.
The cup supports dry matter analysis of corn silage (green and ensiled), legume silage, grass silage, small grains silage and mixed silage. Silage calibrations are updated in the cloud to ensure seasonal and regional accuracy. Users can also track past DM results and trends over time.
Powered by a rechargeable battery, the cup can scan more than 1,000 samples on a single charge.
The cup uses near-infrared spectroscopy, a technology that has been used in agriculture and material sciences for many years.
“In essence, it uses the interaction of light with the materials’ molecules to learn about the content of materials,” says Damian Goldring of Consumer Physics, the developer. “Utilizing new and proprietary optics, as well as advanced algorithms and computer technologies, we took the traditional NIR Spectrometer and miniaturized it into SCiO. SCiO Mini for moisture analysis of “corn on the cob”and SCiO Cup are not only miniaturized and robust, but they are also portable, easy to use and cloud connected, so data is easily accessible.”
So how accurate are the readings?
“Objective studies show that SCiO Cup is just as accurate, consistent and repeatable as current testing methods, at a fraction of the cost and response time,” he says. “SCiO Cup analyses dry matter in corn green chop silage and fermented silage, as well as legumes, grass, mixed silage and small grains silage. We are releasing SCiO Cup with forage calibrations, but more calibrations are upcoming.”
The cup is made of a thermoplastic material that’s lightweight, durable and impact resistant. Inside the cup, the glass dome is made of Pyrex, which is also designed for durability. The sensor itself is small and robust, made with no moving parts, making it ideal for use in portable devices and in the field.
“There’s no other solution in the market right now that compares to SCiO Cup. Other solutions are either based on drying down the sample, which is cumbersome and takes one hour or more per test or are based on NIRS but are far less accurate, more difficult to operate and are more expensive,” he says. “Feed and specifically forage are the No. 1 expense of a dairy farm. They represent 50% to 60% of the farm’s expenses. SCiO Cup allows a practical way of testing dry matter of forage frequently that leads to … efficient way of feeding, thus saving feed cost … consistent dry matter intake of the animals, thus improving milk production consistency and thus the farm’s profitability.
“Overall, USA calculations show that a farm of 500 cows can improve its bottom line by more than $20K per year by using SCiO Cup.”
Collaboration with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) help market the SCiO Cup in the US –- an instant, portable, lab-grade forage dry matter analyser.
For South Africa, KrielTech works with well-known industry figures to bring this solution to a remarkably effective dairy market.
FOR BERRIES
“We are constantly looking for ways to improve the flavor of our berries,” said Brie Reiter Smith, Driscoll’s Director of Quality Systems Design and Technology, Supply Chain, North America. “Investing in technology that ensures more flavor consistency within our proprietary berry varieties is important to our continued efforts to elevate our berry consumers’ experience. This impressive and novel Brix measurement device allows us to reward the independent growers across our network who provide the ripest and best tasting berries.”
The SCiO Cup delivers within seconds accurate, consistent, and non-destructive Brix analysis in various berry types.
KrielTech will continue with its existing sales operations that began earlier this year with the product launch. “We have started calibrations on Table Grapes and hope to be ready for the next South Africa season.” , Kriel says.
See a video of how SCIO CUP works at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrdL20ruRnA
About KrielTech
Kriel Technology Group (Pty) Ltd t/a KrielTech is a diversified player in the technology market covering Agriculture, Food Technology, Medical/Lifestyle and Retail sectors. A close working relationship with its partners and customers enables KrielTech to introduce game-changing solutions to professionals and consumers that increase productivity and improve life quality.
For all media enquiries please contact Gerhard Kriel on +27 82 050 1444 or email gerhard@KrielTech.com.
ENDS