Dental, egg projects bag awards

The National Innovation Agency (NIA) has announced the winners in the “Innovation and Start-up Awards 2016”, a contest organised annually to drive innovation and technology across the country.
The “Probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei SD1in tooth cavity prevention” project won the top prize for social contribution, while the “Designable egg” project landed the top award for economic contribution in the main National Innovation Awards category.
Jitta, a fintech (financial technology) start-up, was named Start-up of the Year in the contest. 
Other awards included Start-up Leader of the Year, Start-up Enabler of the Year, and Professional Investor of the Year.
Science and Technology Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj described the awards as an important mechanism in recognising, rewarding and promoting innovations and ideas that can bring considerable benefit to society and the economy. 
The rewards have been considerably enlarged in scope to reflect emerging global and national trends, he added.
NIA director Pun-Arj Chairatana said the awards for social contribution would provide opportunity for people who live in remote areas to get improved healthcare services, such as in the area of preventing tooth decay among children. 
Meanwhile, the awards for economic contribution will enable the development and creation of functional food in the future, he said.
Rawee Teanpaisan, leader of the “Probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei SD1in tooth cavity prevention” project, said the national innovation project focused on a selected microbial strain of Lactobacillus paracasei SD1, which had undergone testing to demonstrate its resistance to pathogens in dental cavities and its use as a probiotic in oral health.
The bacteria can be incorporated into a variety of product forms, including powdered-milk tablets, lozenges, yogurt and fruit juice, she said, adding that Lactobacillus paracasei SD1 remains viable in such products without affecting their taste or smell. 

A prototype project has been initiated at the Takham Child Development Centre in Songkhla’s Hat Yai to develop probiotic milk powder to prevent tooth decay in young children. 
The project is being expanded to other facilities, including a hospital in Satun province and Yaring and Chana hospitals, in order to help improve children’s dental health, Rawee said.
In the next stage of project development, the goal is to give five times the normal protection to children when it comes to tooth decay, she explained.
Kitti Supchukun, chief executive officer of Klean Green Tech, said the business’s “Designable egg” project is a global innovation that utilises nanotechnology to develop a Unique Target Delivery system in order to improve the quality of layer-hen eggs.
The system features the delivery of substances such as basil and oregano oils with active agents to prevent and cure chicken Coccidiosis, counter bacteria and free radicals and stimulate appetite, in the target organs of chickens, he said.
The innovation also encourages quality improvement of eggs to satisfy market demand and qualitative egg production, which will accordingly improve the quality and consumer safety of eggs that are free of chemicals and antibiotics, he added.
The CEO said the project moreover would also help to improve the gut’s health and enhance feed ingredients, and had showed good effects for both animals and eggs. 
In future development, the goal is for the project to enable the development of “functional” eggs for the market, Kitti said.
Among other NIA award winners, Jitta, the developer of an intelligent investing solution that simplifies fundamental stock analysis and speeds up value-stock discovery around the world, was named Start-up of the Year.
Meanwhile, the “Anti-ripening pack for fruit” project, a global innovation targeting fruit farmers and exporters and involving rice-husk ash to delay the ripening process, won the Rice Innovation Award.
Patai Padungtim, principal evangelist sharing his start-up experience in Builk.com, was named Start-up Leader of the Year, along with Panachit Kittipajya-ngam.
The Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) and Invent landed the Start-up Enabler of the Year and Professional Investor of the Year awards, respectively.
WINNERS’ ROLL CALL
The full winners’ list in the NIA’s “Innovation and Start-up Awards 2016” contest is as follows:
National Innovation Awards
l For social contribution:
    “Probiotic Lactobacillus
      paracasei SD1in tooth cavity
      prevention” project
l For economic contribution:
      “Designable egg” project

Rice Innovation Award
l “Anti-ripening pack for fruit”
       project

 
Start-up Awards
l Start-up of the Year:      
    Jitta
l Start-up Leader of the Year:
    Patai Padungtim
    Panachit Kittipajya-ngam
l Start-up Enabler of the Year:
    Market for Alternative
      Investment
l Professional Investor of the Year:
    Invent