Introduction to the project 4
Recent regional economic growth and changes in dietary patterns have made the production and consumption of fruit increasingly important. The fruit sector plays a vital role in households’ income enhancement, poverty alleviation, food and nutrition security, and sustainable agriculture, especially in developing countries. One of the critical issues in the fruit sector is postharvest losses. Among popular main fruit crops of Central Highlands in Vietnam, durian and avocado have brought “a new wind”, remarkably increasing farmers’ incomes. The post-harvest losses of the two fruits in this region are non-statistically estimated around 15-25% in terms of weight in the productions, while the loss in terms of nutrition and quality have not been properly assessed. Therefore, the use of appropriate post-harvest handling, packaging, transportation and storage practices is very important to minimize the losses along the supply chains. However, in this region most fruits are stored in conventional conditions or chemical preservatives of doubtful origin are used, which in turn limits their shelf life or affects their quality as well as the public health. On the other hand, the Central Highland area possesses rich biological diversity and produces large amounts of useful agricultural residue. The natural bioactive compounds extracted from them, such as essential oils, crude extracts, chitosan… can be of high potential in prolonging the fruit shelf life due to their antibacterial and antifungal activities.
The short-term objectives of this project, on the one hand, is to create safer avocado and durian preservation processes by using natural bioactive compounds with or without nanomaterials. On the other hand, we would like to establish an interdisciplinary sustainable post-harvest technology research group and strengthen educational capacity for the food technology bachelor programme at QNU. For the long-term objective, this project aims to increase the local farmers’ income and supply more safe local fruits to the national and international markets.
To achieve the project objectives, interdisciplinary research in the fields of food science, chemistry of natural products, and biomolecular modelling will be carried out. First, the post-harvest losses of avocado and durian in supply chains will be assessed by using various tools. Second, post-harvest physiology study for avocado/durian will be conducted and pathogenic microorganisms abundant on the surface of the fruits are identified. Third, research on the natural bioactive compounds of diverse local natural plants/sea creatures and their bactericidal and fungicidal properties will be conducted. Molecular mechanisms of the action of the antimicrobials on the pathogens will be studied by using both modelling and experimental methods. In order to identify the optimal storage conditions, experimental and process modelling studies will be carried out. Finally, the preservation process of avocado/ durian which uses natural bioactive compounds with/without nanomaterials will be tested at both lab and farm scales.
