Interview with Prof. Giancarlo Colelli
Italy: Quality & Safety of Fresh-cut Produce
The short-course on Quality & Safety of Fresh-cut Produce is already on its 5th edition: What is the reason for an annual appointment on this specific topic?
We should first say that the fresh-cut industry has been the fastest growing sector in the market of fruit and vegetables, and is still in active growth in many European countries. Salads are the favourite fresh-cut product of European consumers although the supermarket selection has expanded from just bags of lettuce to mixed vegetables, fruit salads, and complete ready-to-eat meal components, and that innovation is the driving force of the sector.
The thing is that is not so easy to adapt the process when switching from one product to another. The technology of the process is very simple but its application is not always satisfying, and the reason often is the poor knowledge of the physiology of the product which is constituted by living cell tissue, rapidly metabolizing, especially when peeled and cut in portions for higher convenience. For this reason quality attributes (i.e. appearance, texture, flavour, and nutritional value) degrade very fast and shelf life is often a matter of days.
In addition the physiology is different from one crop to another, and even among different cultivars… very often the product looks good but its flavor is seriously compromised, not mentioning safety issues. Industry is aware of all these issues and respond very well to these high-level training events.
I think this is also the reason why important entities like FreshConex and United Fresh Produce Association co-organized the Course with us this year.
Can you trace the major priority of the sector?
Well… a number of priorities are on top of the list of the fresh-cut industry which may have a direct influence on ready-to-eat produce consumers. Safety of course, not only in relation to microbial contamination but also related to all other possible issues coming from chemical contamination as pesticide residues, and chlorine degradation compounds. The industry is in fact pushing to find alternatives to the use of chlorine. And Quality, especially considering expectations from consumers who pay a relatively high price in order to purchase a high-convenience fresh fruit or vegetable which should live up to expectations in terms of nutritional quality and flavour.
A ready-to-eat food is usually purchased on the base of appearance, especially when packaged in transparent films like fresh-cut produce. However, consumer satisfaction in terms of sensorial characteristics (aroma, firmness and taste) strongly affects subsequent purchases. So "pursuing higher safety and quality" should be a major objective.”
Being FreshPlaza a partner of a Project you are coordinating I know you are doing a lot in this direction, could you please illustrate to our readers the R&D Projects you are involved in?
During the past years my Research Unit at University of Foggia has been spending a lot of efforts in creating a network of Institutions and Enterprises which might represent a credible candidate for intercepting funds for R&D activities on quality and safety of fresh-cut products; at the moment I’m coordinating 2 large projects on this topic, I believe among the largest projects ever funded in Europe.
QUAFETY, the Project you mentioned (COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO ENHANCE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF READY TO EAT FRESH PRODUCTS), is co-funded by the European Commission (through the 7th Framework Program), and involves 14 partners, among public Institutions and SME; it is focused on providing the industry with diagnostic kits, process control and decision-making tools for the prediction and evaluation of microbial contamination, quality and shelf-life in order to improve quality and safety of fresh-cut products.
The other Project, OFRALSER (HIGH-CONVENIENCE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR QUALITY AND NEW PRODUCTS) is co-funded by the Italian government, also involving 14 partners, mostly SME, and aims to apply the most innovative technologies and to innovate the sector in term of new product and process. Both Projects are very challenging, partners are co-funding with 20 to 40 percent of the costs, and I hope results will have a major impact on the fresh-produce industry.
Back to the Course you are organizing in February in Berlin within Freshconex/FruitLogistica events. Give me a reason for people to attend this Course.
Actually there are more than just one. The high level of the expertise of the Instructors, coming from most prestigious Institutions in Europe and US; the very positive feedbacks of participants of previous editions (in Italy and in Spain); the possibility of networking; and … the chance to visit FRESHCONEX and FruitLogistica, and the city of Berlin. It is time to do it!
For further information please visit the course website www.unifg.it/postharvest
or write to postharvest@unifg.it
The Research Unit on Postharvest Technology of the University of Foggia is also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/postharvestunifg