Vegetable Cleanser for Non-Chemical Pest Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing pests from harvested vegetables often rely on chemical cleansers, which are toxic and undesirable in ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook markets, and are not effective in eliminating pests like diamondback moth larvae from cruciferous vegetables.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the extraction of a vegetable cleanser from harvested vegetables, specifically from the families of Cruciferae, Compositae, and Amaranthaceae, which is used to remove pests by homogenizing and filtering the vegetables to create a solution that relaxes and removes attached pests without using chemical pesticides.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chemical cleansers are used to remove pests from harvested vegetables, then pest removal effectiveness is improved, but toxicity and harmful effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of pests feeding on vegetables into a beneficial cleaning mechanism. Pests are intentionally allowed to feed on test vegetables, and their excrement is then used as a natural cleanser to remove pests from market vegetables. This transforms the harmful byproduct (excrement) into a useful cleaning agent that effectively removes pests without chemical toxicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (vegetable cleanser derived from pest excrement) that mediates between the need for effective pest removal and the requirement for non-toxic cleaning. This intermediary agent transfers the cleaning function from harmful chemical substances to a natural, non-toxic alternative while maintaining pest removal effectiveness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If natural vegetable cleansers are used instead of chemical cleansers, then toxicity is reduced, but pest removal effectiveness may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the parameters of the natural cleanser by controlling the concentration of pest excrement, the type of test vegetables used, and the contact time during the cleaning process. These parameter adjustments ensure that the natural cleanser achieves pest removal effectiveness comparable to or exceeding chemical cleansers while maintaining non-toxic properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning system utilizes the natural properties of pest excrement and vegetable extracts to perform the cleaning function without requiring external chemical additives. The pests themselves contribute to creating the cleaning agent through their feeding activity, and the system leverages natural biological processes to achieve effective pest removal.
3Reliability
If pests are allowed to feed on vegetables to create cleanser, then cleanser effectiveness is improved, but vegetable damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the vegetable supply into two separate categories: test vegetables that are intentionally damaged by pest feeding to produce excrement for cleanser preparation, and market vegetables that are cleaned using this cleanser without direct pest contact. This segmentation ensures that vegetable damage is confined to the test portion while the market vegetables remain intact and suitable for sale.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the useful component (pest excrement) from the damaging process and separates it from the market vegetables. The excrement is collected and processed into cleanser, which is then applied to market vegetables without requiring the pests to be present during the cleaning of saleable produce. This extraction isolates the beneficial element while eliminating the associated damage.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for removing pests from harvested vegetables has steps of extracting a first portion of harvested vegetables to obtain a vegetable cleanser, and cleaning a second portion of harvested vegetables with the vegetable cleanser, such that pests residing on the second portion of harvested vegetables are removed from the second portion of harvested vegetables, wherein the first portion of harvested vegetables and the second portion of harvested vegetables independently contain vegetables selected from the group consisting of vegetables belonging to the families of Cruciferae, Compositae, Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae. The aforementioned method is effective at removing pests from harvested vegetables and satisfies urgent needs to reduce use of chemical pesticides.