Indian tomato growers may soon have a solution to prevent their produce from being discarded when market prices crash. A team of teachers and students from Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology (BIET) in Karnataka's Davanagere district has developed a new smart preservation system that can keep tomatoes fresh for 45 to 60 days, offering farmers a practical way to store their crop until prices improve.
According to the team, tomatoes stored in a regular refrigerator remain fresh upto two weeks but new storage device ensures that the shelf life of this vegetable is extended upto nearly two months, helping farmers minimise post-harvest losses.
BIET principal H B Aravind and professor of biotechnology department, Shruti, explained that the invention was tested successfully at the campus. Tomatoes kept inside the system retain their firmness, quality and colour without spoilage even after 60 days. The research team said the project aims to directly benefit small and marginal farmers, who often suffer losses when market rates suddenly fall.
The preservation chamber uses a combination of light waves, sound waves and post-harvest technology. The system is equipped with UV-C light, red, blue and green LEDs, as well as controlled sound wave output. The device exposes tomatoes to a two-minute dosage of these inputs daily, while sound waves are applied for six hours each day.
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