TuberSense - Early detection of potato diseases through volatile sensing to reduce food waste in the supply chain

联合国粮食及农业组织（粮农组织）估计，到2050年需要养活总共90亿人，考虑到气候变化的预测情景，这一任务变得特别具有挑战性。一个关键的干预目标是减少食物浪费，废物和资源行动计划（WRAP）和英国政府承认需要创新的解决方案。初级生产中的废物量可能因收获前的因素而增加，如环境、品种选择、作物管理、疾病发生率和收获后过程。英国也因食品安全问题而被拒绝的食品数量增加。日期标签目前实施，以确保食物在其最佳质量时食用，然而，经常导致可避免的食物浪费。该奖学金将解决农业食品浪费的挑战，重点是减少作物浪费，同时通过创造从农场到餐桌的创新解决方案来确保食品安全。它旨在通过确定马铃薯供应链中气候驱动的关键挑战，为提高生产系统的弹性创造新的工具。关键是要将我们掌握的知识转化为创新的管理工具，重点是早期发现和潜在的预防重大病虫害。我们还致力于通过开发一种创新的标签系统来减少英国家庭的浪费，以服务于我们的健康，钱包和环境。两家企业- B-hive Innovations Ltd和Branston Ltd，以及三家学术机构-詹姆斯赫顿研究所，西英格兰大学和沃里克大学已经走到一起，支持申请人Barbara dos桑托斯科雷亚博士提供这一创新，复杂和多学科的研究计划。该研究计划将通过与田间种植者和商店管理人员直接接触，确定英国种植的马铃薯面临的新威胁，分析实验室和工业条件下患病块茎的挥发性顶部空间，然后利用这些知识开发传感系统和腐败指标。所有生成的知识和系统将在工业条件下进行测试，以确保未来的商业应用。该奖学金有意超越揭示基础知识，由申请人的目标进行基础研究，以工业需求为主导，缩短研究人员，企业和初级生产者之间的差距，并确定商业机会。这种务实的做法预计将带来诸多好处。B-hive Innovations作为主办机构，获得与主要研究机构的联系，同时参与作物管理挥发性检测的最新技术开发，从开发用于市场开发的新产品中获益。合作者将直接参与高质量的研究，扩大他们的合作网络和研究领域。基于她的学术知识和经验，申请人将成为一个非常有基础的领先科学家。她将做好充分准备，在以行业为重点的环境中在应用科学方面表现出色。预计所产生的知识将应用于其他块根作物，为申请人占据领先地位的业务发展开辟新的机会，推动粮食系统的转型。

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimate the need to feed a total of 9 billion people by 2050, a task that becomes especially challenging when considering the projected scenario of climate change. A key intervention target is reducing food waste, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and UK governments acknowledge the need for innovative solutions. Waste levels can be elevated in primary production through pre-harvest factors such as environment, variety selection, crop management, disease incidence and post-harvest processes. The UK is also experiencing increased volume of food being rejected due to food safety issues. Date labelling is currently implemented to assure food is consumed when at its optimum quality, however, frequently leads to avoidable food waste. This Fellowship will tackle the agri-food waste challenge, focusing on reducing crop waste while assuring food safety by creating innovative solutions from farm to fork. It aims to create new tools for increased resilient production systems by identifying key climate-driven challenges in the potato supply chain. It is key to translate our developed knowledge into innovative management tools focused on early detection and potentially preventing major pests and diseases. We also aim to reduce waste in the UK household by developing an innovative labelling system that serves our health, wallet and environment. Two business - B-hive Innovations Ltd and Branston Ltd, and three academic institutions - the James Hutton Institute, the University of the West of England and the Warwick University have come together to support the applicant Dr Barbara dos Santos Correia to deliver this innovative, complex and multidisciplinary research programme. The research programme will identify emerging threats to UK-grown potatoes via direct contact with field growers and store managers, analysing the volatile headspace of diseased tubers under laboratory and industrial conditions then using this knowledge to develop a sensing system and a spoilage indicator. All generated knowledge and systems will be tested under industrial conditions to ensure future commercial application. This Fellowship intentionally goes beyond uncovering fundamental knowledge, driven by the applicant's goal of undertaking fundamental research led by industrial needs and shortening the gap between researchers, business and primary producers, and identifying commercial opportunities. This pragmatic approach is expected to bring numerous benefits. B-hive Innovations as host organisation, gaining access to key research institutions, whilst being involved in the latest technological developments around volatile detection for crop management creating benefit from the development of novel products for market exploitation. Collaborators will be directly involved in high quality research, broadening their collaborative network and research areas. Building on her academic knowledge and experience, the applicant will become an extraordinarily well-grounded leading scientist. She will be fully prepared to excel in Applied Science in an industry focused environment. It is expected the knowledge generated will applied to other root crops, opening new opportunities for business development where the applicant will occupy a leading position, driving the transformation of food systems.