More than 120 researchers, students, technicians and businesspeople from Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Mexico participated in the XIII Iberian Symposium on Maturation and Post-Harvest (POST26), which took place between the 1st and 3rd of June at , in Faro.
The scientific meeting brought together experts from the Iberian Peninsula in the area of conservation, quality and valorization of fruits and vegetables, at a time when the reduction of food losses and the sustainability of agri-food chains are becoming increasingly important.
Over three days, more than 100 scientific communications were presented, focusing on topics such as intelligent quality monitoring technologies, sustainable packaging, edible coatings, biological control of post-harvest diseases, recovery of agri-food waste and circular economy solutions.
Technologies seek to extend the shelf life of food
One of the central themes of the symposium was the fight against food waste. During the session dedicated to minimizing losses, researcher Ana Cristina Santos, from the University of Évora, highlighted that around 32.2% of food produced in the world is lost or wasted, a figure that can reach 50% in the case of fruits and vegetables.
In Portugal, it is estimated that around 1.9 million tons of food are wasted per year. Given this scenario, researchers from different countries presented innovative solutions capable of extending the useful life of products, reducing waste and increasing the efficiency of supply chains.
Among the technologies presented were intelligent quality assessment systems based on hyperspectral imaging, non-destructive sensors for plant monitoring, active packaging with ethylene absorbers, edible antifungal coatings and new storage strategies for fruits and vegetables.
Researcher José Blasco, from the IVIA Agroingeniería Center, in Valencia, Spain, presented the contribution of artificial intelligence and intelligent models to the assessment of post-harvest quality. Vítor Alves, from the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, addressed advances in sustainable packaging and bioplastics, highlighting their role in reducing food losses and environmental impact.
Circular economy and young researchers highlighted
The circular economy was also in the spotlight, with the presentation of works that demonstrate how agri-food waste and by-products can be transformed into solutions with high added value.
Among the examples presented were the use of wastewater from the artichoke industry to increase tomato conservation, the use of avocado and almond waste to develop antifungal coatings and the valorization of non-saleable bananas to produce flour rich in prebiotic fiber for the food industry.
The training of the next generation of researchers was another strong point of the meeting. For the first time in the history of the symposium, Excellence Grants were awarded by the Portuguese Horticultural Association and the Portuguese Society of Plant Biology, aimed at recognizing the scientific merit of young researchers in the post-harvest area.
For the Organizing Committee, the high number of participants and the scientific quality of the presentations demonstrate the growing importance of post-harvest research to face global challenges such as food security, climate change, scarcity of resources and the sustainability of food systems.
POST26 was organized by the Portuguese Horticultural Association, University of Algarve, Sociedad Española de Ciencias Hortícolas, Sociedade Portuguesa de Biologia das Plantas and Sociedad Española de Biología de Plantas.
According to the organization, this edition reinforced the role of the Iberian Symposium on Maturation and Post-Harvest as “one of the main scientific forums in the Iberian Peninsula dedicated to innovation, sustainability and valorization of horticultural production”.
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