Twenty five innovative projects in the British food sector will receive £16m funding from government and industry as part of an initiative to develop business ideas and boost UK agriculture.

Within this £16m, £9.8m will be provided by government, while the remaining £6.m will be received from industry.

This new financial support is part of the third round of funding to be distributed through the £70m Agri-Tech Catalyst, which is run by Innovate UK and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Innovate UK Agriculture and Food head Ian Meikle said: "The funding decisions announced today are expert-led and evidence-based.

"With business, research and government working together, these investments can unlock potential and deliver major benefits for society and the economy."

The winning innovations in this round include the 'Sunshine Egg', which aims to reduce vitamin D deficiency in humans by enriching naturally laid chicken eggs with higher levels of the vitamin through chicken feed.

The other winning projects are the 3D camera technology to identify when broccoli is ready for harvesting, environmentally friendly cooling and heating to promote enhanced living conditions for healthier chickens, and use of satellite imagery to identify the right time for farmers to tend to their crops.