B-hive Innovations, a UK-based company specializing in technologies for the fresh produce industry, has introduced a new program aimed at reducing potato bruising and developing technologies to decrease supermarket waste. Partnering with scientists from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), B-hive’s research team will explore non-destructive methods of measuring turgor pressure in potatoes. This pressure is crucial for the cells to withstand shocks and minimize bruising. By gathering extensive data, the project aims to create tools that can automatically sort fresh produce based on bruising risk.
Dr. Barbara Correia, the TuberTurgor project lead at B-hive, explains that potato bruising has become increasingly problematic for growers and supermarkets due to prolonged drought caused by rising global temperatures. This susceptibility to bruising damage during handling calls for early, non-destructive detection methods to be devised.
To attain technical expertise and access turgor analysis techniques, B-hive collaborates with NPL. The project will explore various techniques, including physical hardness measures, ultrasonic and spectroscopic testing, as well as high-resolution imaging approaches, to measure turgor pressure.
The research protocol will be defined in an initial period, followed by a testing phase from August to October to determine the most successful methodologies. The subsequent testing phase, running from November to project completion in March, will collect extensive data using the most promising techniques, with ongoing refinements.
Dr. Tony Maxwell, technical lead at the National Physical Laboratory, emphasizes their excitement in applying their measurement technique expertise to an issue directly impacting agricultural productivity and the environment.
Dr. Andrew Gill, general manager at B-hive, states that the TuberTurgor project supports supply chains in minimizing waste. Bruising not only leads to significant productivity losses but also damages the reputation of growers and supermarkets. Securing funding for this project is a significant step towards maintaining high-quality produce as growers face ongoing crop management challenges.
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