FRESH - Fresh produce through Reduction of Ethylene during Storage and Handling

Every year, fruit and vegetables worth Dkk 3bn are wasted during production, transportation, storage and in retail in Denmark. This is not only an undesirable waste of resources in a world where resources are becoming scarce; it also results in an unnecessary strain on the environment. A part of this waste is a consequence of spoilage due to build-up of ethylene in the air in confined spaces used to store produce. Ethylene is a natural signaling molecule, which stimulates the ripening of the produce. The FRESH project aims at minimizing the waste by reducing the amount of ethylene during production, transportation and storage of fruit, vegetables and flowers. FRESH is a partnership between Danish Technological Institute, Aalborg University, Blue Ocean Robotics, Develco Products, Gartneriet PKM, Alex Andersen Ølund, Aarstiderne and Dansk upermarked. Through the project, a solution for monitoring and controlling the ethylene levels applicable in the entire value-chain from production to retail is developed. FRESH takes its point of departure from the latest technologies within sensors, photocatalytic surfaces and UV-diodes. These elements are further developed and combined in an optimized design based on advanced flow models. The solution is integrated with a network of state-of-the-art ethylene and air quality sensors and thus provides the opportunity for improved mapping and control of the ethylene levels. The goal of FRESH is to develop a full scale prototype of a smart air-cleaning device and evaluate the efficiency of the device at the end-users in the project.