Wageningen Food & Biobased Research: Experts in Postharvest Research in Europe

The recent celebration of the Postharvest Unlimited Conference in Wageningen provided an opportunity to learn about "Wageningen Food & Biobased Research." This is where postharvest research is conducted in connection with Wageningen University, one of the leading institutions in Europe for agricultural education. Our host was Eelke Westra, the Manager of the Postharvest Quality program. A bit of historyIn 1936, Professor Sprenger began collaborating with the Dutch apple industry to add value. His work focused on storage and processing, forming the foundation of the future Sprenger Institute, which became the ATO Institute in 1990. In 2000, ATO merged with Wageningen University, and the teaching and research activities at the university were combined to form what is now known as WUR, Wageningen University & Research. Wageningen Food & Biobased Research is one of the research institutes within WUR. Their mission is to "explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life." They contribute to this mission through their research on sustainable innovations in healthy foods, fresh food chains, and biobased products. The contextWageningen Food & Biobased Research is one of the nine research institutes that make up WUR, a collaboration between Wageningen University and the Wageningen Research Foundation. The other institutes with close collaboration are Wageningen Food Safety Research, focused on "safe and authentic foods," and Wageningen Plant Research, which offers "new perspectives for sustainable agriculture" to industry, governments, research institutes, and universities. The projects undertaken by Wageningen Food & Biobased Research can be institutional or done through partnerships with companies. WUR has over 7,600 employees, 13,100 students, and more than 150,000 participants from over 100 countries in its Life Long Learning program. The university has over 62,000 alumni from around the world. Main research areas of Wageningen Food & Biobased ResearchThe Wageningen Food & Biobased Research Institute focuses its postharvest research on quality measurement, food system design, quality control during storage and transportation, and quality-driven logistics. In addition to postharvest quality, they also research food technology, conduct clinical trials with humans, and more. Their research topics cover postharvest processes, safe and circular biobased products, the development and use of nature-based materials, nutrition and health, agri-food robotics, technology and treatment of water for circular use, prevention of food waste, and the development of renewable plastics. They also work on topics related to plant-based protein utilization, with a focus on soy. Ongoing projects ServicesWageningen Food & Biobased Research also provides R&D services to the private sector. They act as a flexible R&D department that companies can hire for joint development of solutions, technical assistance, technical validation, policy support, and consulting. Their state-of-the-art facilities and team of experts allow for testing various variables in a highly controlled environment, leading to faster answers and faster commercialization of many innovations. Human resources and facilitiesWFBR has 40 affiliated researchers, with a total of 250 people working there. WFBR's research is conducted in two buildings, Phenomea, which houses the basic research laboratories we visited, and other facilities that house the plant for innovation in bio-based products. Phenomena focuses on researching the shelf life of fresh food products and the possibilities of using robots in the agri-food sector. It also houses facilities for research in food technology, including equipment that simulates the passage of food through the human digestive system and the assimilation level of different compounds, among others. Logistics Container LaboratoryThe logistics of plant products is one of the aspects investigated at the WFBR, and for this purpose, Phenomena has a container installed on a truck where they can study various aspects of transportation under controlled conditions, including temperature, atmosphere, airflow, insulation materials, energy consumption, etc. WFBR is authorized to issue ATP certificates. In this laboratory, they are developing a temperature-controlled transport system using boxes for use in distribution vehicles.Robotics LaboratoryThe robotics laboratory develops sensors with new capabilities and various developments related to the automation of the agri-food sector, which is one of the main objectives in WFBR's lines of work.? 3D Vision LaboratoryThe 3D vision laboratory allows for the analysis of, for example, consumer reactions to a product. They participate in pick & pack research projects, a co-development with a private company, to accelerate logistics.Cold and CA Storage RoomsThey have a wide range of cold rooms, controlled atmosphere rooms, and refrigerated rooms equipped with their own developed equipment to study controlled atmospheres on a small scale. They have a centralized control system that allows for different conditions to be established simultaneously.? Plant Physiology LaboratoryThe plant physiology laboratory studies the characteristics of fruits and vegetables. Among their equipment, hyperspectral cameras stand out, which detect different metabolites within the plant.? Ornamental LaboratoryThere is a laboratory dedicated exclusively to ornamental species, both cut flowers and potted plants, where their behavior during transportation and retail sale conditions is studied.? Packaging LaboratorySpecial efforts are dedicated to packaging. The packaging laboratory tests and creates new materials, with an emphasis on those based on waste, for fresh and minimally processed products. The diffusion laboratory analyzes the role of packaging materials in the diffusion of gases into and out of the packaging, as well as the carbon footprint of both the product and the packaging materials.? Phenomena also has facilities for workshops, courses, and other training activities, both internal and external. Contributions to the industryThroughout its extensive existence, WFBR has made numerous contributions to society. Eelke Westra highlights the following: - The existence of WUR itself, is an initiative where education and research actively interact with both national and international society. Focusing on postharvest, one of the activities organized annually, in the autumn of the Northern Hemisphere, is the Course Postharvest Technology. The central role of the Netherlands in global research related to production and postharvest, also supports its commercial leadership. Building on the initial concerns of adding value to apple producers, the developments made in the field of Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA). The results of the QUEST projects, allow for a reduction of container emissions by up to 65%. Research in physiology, postharvest behavior, and waste utilization contribute to reducing food loss and working towards the reuse of resources necessary for the circular economy.?Pictures1 - Phenomena building of Wageningen Food & Biobased Research 2 - Communication between the scientific community, with companies and with society is part of the essence of WUR; in the image a room for this type of activity in Phenomena 3 - The logistics laboratory container is installed in a chamber that allows to recreate different environmental conditions 4? - Mini cameras to evaluate the behavior under different conditions of Controlled Atmosphere 5 -?Eelke Westra. Programme manager Postharvest QualityArticle by Alicia Namesny, info@poscosecha.com