The Intellectual Property Philippines has issued a notice of patent allowability to “A Method for Extending the Marketable Life of ‘Carabao’Mangoes,” a technology developed by Dr. Ma. Concepcion C. Lizada, a former Director of the then College of Agriculture-Postharvest Research and Training Center.

With a notice of patent allowability, UPLB is set to be granted the patent for this invention.

Distilleries use waste by-products such as molasses from sugar mills to ferment it to ethanol, which is the source of whisky, brandy, gin and vodka that are available in the market.

In 1999, owners of the distilleries Absolut Chemicals Inc (ABSOLUT) and Consolidated Distillers of the Far East (CONDIS) in Batangas found themselves in hot water when their plants’ effluents reportedly found its way in the Bag-bag and Palico Rivers in Lian and Nasugbu, resulting in massive fish kills in said rivers. Faced with the very real possibility of closing shop as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had already issued a cease and desist order, they turned to a reliable partner for help.

The National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) and the Institute’s Liquid Fertilization Team originally composed of Dr. Ma. Luz F. Paje, Dr. Jose Paolo V. Magbanua and Ms. Elizabeth C. Bugante heeded the call and signed up to collaborate with them. The following year, another distillery, the Pampanga-based Far East Alcohol Corporation (FEACO) also turned to BIOTECH because of a similar concern on the Apalit River.

Liquid Fertilization Team leader Dr. Veronica P. Migo, a chemist, recalled how they got into the picture. In a meeting of stakeholders called by then DENR Secretary Antonio H. Cerilles, the distillery owners, concerned community groups and members of the academe were told to come up with a “win-win solution,” that will not harm the environment. The closure of the distillery plants was not an option since a lot of sectors, including the distillery owners themselves, the farmers, and the azucarera owners, depend greatly on sugarcane production for their livelihood.