The current state of postharvest, as is often the case, revolves around three food issues — safety, quality, and waste. And then there is the current state of the world.
“All these pressing issues in our pandemic world are accelerating investment in innovations for the postharvest packinghouse,” Ernest “Boomer” Cardinale, U.S. Director of Marketing and Business Development with Decco, says. “The larger food storage and packing facilities are investing in automation, including robotics, to help close the gap in labor disruption. Automating routine functions, like packing, loading, and quality assurance, through AI (Artificial Intelligence) and robotics are game changers but still reserved for the larger well-funded operators. Once economies of scale are met, these automated solutions will be more accessible to all levels of operators.”…
Food Waste
At RipeLocker, grower partners are seeking improvement in postharvest operational efficiencies to not only reduce defects but also decrease food loss and waste. According to Director of Marketing Selynn Vong, delaying senescence or degradation of fruit to prolong its freshness and tasting quality is attainable through technologically advanced postharvest solutions that do not involve additional coatings, fungicides or picking fruit green before natural ripening. This disruptive innovation in a hi-tech low-atmosphere storage solution allows for the picking of fruit at later stages of the ripening process, resulting in healthier and better tasting fruit, she says.
