Collaborative actions to avoid postharvest losses

Postharvest research must enable us to translate fundamental knowledge into innovative and sustainable solutions to reduce postharvest losses. These include genetic improvements by selecting cultivars with good flavour and texture and long postharvest life, sensor improvements to monitor and control the ripeness and the optimal maturity for harvest, and improvements in quality control and storage conditions. New packaging technologies using biodegradable and recycled materials are promising solutions for helping with environmental sustainability. However, they should also be adequate for fresh produce quality maintenance. The innovative actions should combine appropriate optimal temperature and relative humidity during storage, transport, and distribution to create the desired conditions around the commodity for freshness preservation. To achieve these goals, collaborative actions that integrate all the aspects related to postharvest losses are needed starting from the agricultural production activities to processing, marketing, distribution, and even consumers.Contents of the paper1 Introduction 2 Causes involved in postharvest losses3 Prevention strategies to reduce postharvest losses and product waste3.1 Cold chain and relative humidity management3.2 Controlled or modified atmosphere4 Innovative solutions to reduce postharvest losses and product waste4.1 Genetic improvement4.2 Fruit ripeness and optimal maturity monitoring4.3 Packaging4.4 Refrigerated transport and storage5 Trends in the supermarkets 6 Conclusions. SourceInnovative and sustainable solutions to reduce postharvest lossesMar?a Isabel GilInternational Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation Vol. 8, No. 2-3https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1504/IJPTI.2022.121878?