The Postharvest Directory 2023 is now available

The first edition of the Postharvest Directory was published in 1998, and this year we are celebrating our 25th anniversary. Many things have changed during this time, creating new opportunities and, above all, greatly facilitating communication and access to information. The Postharvest Directory is one of the three showcases of Poscosecha.com and Postharvest.biz. The other two are the website itself and the weekly newsletters, Poscosecha News and Postharvest News. Over time, the internet has become the preferred medium, with many users accessing it from their mobile phones. Since 2012, the Postharvest Directory has stopped using paper and is accessible as a PDF. The dynamic nature of our clients' information and the preferences of our readers have led to a focus on Poscosecha.com and the Poscosecha News newsletters on Tuesdays and Fridays, as well as the Postharvest.biz website and the Postharvest News newsletters. Starting in 2023, we will direct our efforts towards these platforms. With the current Postharvest Directory, which is optionally bilingual for companies, we are closing a 25-year cycle. TopicsThere have also been changes in the efforts of postharvest machinery, materials, and services providers, reflecting the common goal of offering improvements to their customers. Increasing efficiency and profitability have always been present, and in recent years, environmental concerns have also been incorporated. Awareness of sustainability continues to grow, and all companies strive, from their respective spaces, to help achieve the goals and targets of sustainable development. Something that we have sometimes had to explain is why we have a section called "Varieties" dedicated to genetic material. However, it was demonstrated at the latest scientific gathering, Postharvest Unlimited (May 2023), that this section is accepted. The main sponsor of the event was a seed company. Organoleptic characteristics and postharvest behavior are now as important as agricultural yield and performance in dealing with pests, diseases, and stress, among other factors. There have also been significant advances in the added value of products. Fruits and vegetables were already an important base for the canned food industry, and now they are also key for minimally processed or fourth-range foods, which undergo light thermal treatment to preserve their properties almost as if they were fresh. Fifth-range foods and ready-to-eat dishes are also gaining prominence. There are still many possibilities to be explored within the options provided by Agriculture 4.0. Pere Papasseit, editor of the healthy food portal ACTUAL FruVeg, explains the significance of technical advances combined with training and cooperation between companies to create new products that meet consumers' demands for ease of use and nutritional quality. Climate change is a reality in our timescale. As I write these lines on May 26, 2023, it has only been a few days since the first rain after a long period of drought. As is customary in many desert areas, this news is bittersweet. Many people are still suffering from the consequences of flooding. From our postharvest-focused perspective, we believe we can help see "climate change" in a different light. While traveling through many areas of the Iberian Peninsula, we wonder if we have forgotten about the water cycle. Trees are its engine, and there are many unusable agricultural lands that could be populated with them.   Other Postharvest ActivitiesIn 2015, Claudia Conesa joined our team, and she is now the driving force behind most of the published news. We know that Poscosecha users eagerly await these updates every day. Claudia has also successfully carried out two of her own ideas. One is the Postharvest Course, held in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). The seventh edition will take place from January to March as usual. The other is the Citrus Postharvest Symposium, organized in collaboration with the IVIA. Last year's event was a success, and the second edition will take place on September 14. The newsletters and Poscosecha.com serve as communication channels for these activities and others organized for companies. For example, there was a forum on pistachios that included a postharvest section. Recently, another event was held to explain the latest developments in apple and pear postharvest practices. Many ThanksWe would like to thank everyone for their participation in the numerous editions of the Directorio Poscosecha / Postharvest Directory. We are now focusing our efforts on internet platforms that allow for continuous updates, and we are confident that this decision will also benefit our customers' business-to-business interactions with their clients. The aforementioned portals dedicated to postharvest are complemented thematically by "Tecnología Hortícola" (Horticultural Technology), dedicated to the growing technology; the aforementioned "ACTUAL FruVeg," focused on healthy nutrition; and the "Biblioteca de Horticultura" (Horticulture Library), which covers a range of topics from production to commerce.