Postharvest preservation technologies for Canadian-grown horticulture as a strategy to reduce food waste

在世界各地被转移到垃圾填埋场的可预防粮食损失中，收获后的水果和蔬菜废物占很大比例。这些粮食损失对粮食安全和环境可持续性产生了广泛的负面影响。迄今为止，缺乏可行的技术来保存易腐的园艺，包括来自加拿大生产者的作物。更好地保存园艺产品的改进做法和技术可以减少食物浪费，从而延长食品保存时间。众所周知，收获后保存良好的水果和蔬菜与维持抗氧化剂（如维生素C）成分是一致的。目前，关于一些最易腐烂作物（包括绿叶蔬菜、蘑菇和浆果）的最佳做法和/或采后技术的信息很少。此外，目前尚不清楚这些产品中的天然防腐剂在收获后是如何改变的。我们的研究计划集中在开发最佳的采后储存实践或新鲜配方应用，以保存加拿大园艺。我们将开发一种新鲜配方，从蘑菇废料中回收独特的抗氧化剂，然后测试它们对高度易腐的园艺产品（如浆果和绿叶蔬菜）采后质量的影响。第二个目标是使用价值链分析来揭示水果和蔬菜生产行业采用新型新鲜配方实践的驱动因素和瓶颈，包括那些以抗氧化剂为基础的配方。拟议的研究将为两名多学科研究博士提供独特的培训机会，包括食品保鲜与经典生物化学，分析化学以及科学和经济行业中高需求的价值链技术技能。这项研究还将提供基础信息，为园艺生产者提供更好的决策信息，并将开发广泛影响园艺部门的保护实践。

Postharvest fruit and vegetable waste accounts for a large proportion of preventable food loss that is diverted to landfills around the world. These food losses have widespread negative ramifications on food security and environmental sustainability. To date, there is a lack of feasible technology for the postharvest preservation of perishable horticulture, including crops derived from Canadian producers. Improved practices and technologies for better preservation of horticultural produce can lessen food waste, and hence prolong food preservation. There is widespread knowledge that fruit and vegetables that are well preserved after harvest coincide with the maintenance of antioxidant (e.g., vitamin C) composition. Currently, there is little information on the optimal practices and/or postharvest technologies for some of the most highly perishable crops, including leafy green vegetables, mushrooms and berries. In addition, it is not known how natural preservatives within these products are altered postharvest. Our research program is focused on developing optimal postharvest storage practices or freshness formulation applications for the preservation of Canadian horticulture. We will develop a freshness formulation by recovering unique antioxidants from mushroom waste and then testing their impact on the postharvest quality of highly perishable horticultural products, such as berries and leafy green vegetables.A second aim is to use a value-chain analysis to uncover the drivers and bottlenecks in the fruit and vegetable production industry for adoption of novel freshness formulation practices, including those that are antioxidant-based. The proposed research will provide unique training opportunities for 2 PhD in multidisciplinary research, including food preservation coupled with classical biochemistry, analytical chemistry, and value chain technology skills that are in high demand within the scientific and economic industry sectors. The research will also provide foundation information to inform better decision-making for horticultural producers, and will develop preservation practices that widely impact the horticultural sector.