FRUIT LOGISTICA 2017

•••3••• Interview “The industry faces an enormous challenge” DIEMESSE talked to Horticultural Engineering expert Dr. -Ing. Pramod V. Mahajan FRUTIC is an international scientif- ic conference series with tradition – already in 1983 the first confer- ence took place in Israel. What is the concept behind it? FRUTIC is a series of international scientific conferences, the first of which took place in Israel in 1983. It is an innovative scientific research network platform for topical issues and discussions on technology advancement for pre- harvest, harvest, postharvest, distribution and quality control of horticultural commodities. Over the years, FRUTIC has de- veloped into an important plat- form for the development and application of technologies for fruit, vegetables and nuts pro- duction, bringing together lead- ing researchers from around the globe. This year, on 7th February 2017 the FRUTIC Symposium is or- ganized jointly by an enthusiastic group of researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (Germany) and the University of Foggia (Italy). This year, the symposium will be held for the first time in conjunc- tion with Fruit Logistica. What are your synergies? The idea is to integrate FRUTIC into Fruit Logistica with following objectives: 1. To give scientists an opportunity to visit FruitLogistica and know its potentiality as well as the signifi- cance of their research; and 2. To enrich fresh produce industry with innovations and emerging technologies in supply chain. The FRUTIC Symposium will provide a platform for re- searchers and practitioners to engage in technical dis- cussions about innovations and new technologies, as well as to explore further areas of research needed in the industry to promote quality and safety of fruit and vegetables. This in- cludes information dissemi- nation, sharing practical experience and developing road maps for the most ef- fective way to reach the common goals. “The quality and safety of fresh horticultural products” is the fo- cus of the conference. Where do you currently see discussion needs? Fresh fruit and vegetables are a major source of biologically active compounds (e.g. fibers, vitamins, and minerals) essential for human wellbeing. They are, however, perishable living products that require coordinated measures by growers, storage operators, pro- cessors, and retailers to maintain their quality and reduce food loss and waste. Non-destructive tech- niques for analysing the quality of fresh produce are valuable tools applicable along the supply chain. Fresh produce attributes such as appearance, texture, flavour and nutritional value have been tradi- tional quality criteria, but increas- ingly safety and traceability are important for all the role players along the supply chain from the farm to consumer. This FRUTIC Symposium is fo- cused on the quality and safety of fresh horticultural commodi- ties. The Symposium comprises of 3 keynote talks, 3 oral sessions with 18 lectures, >20 posters, covering all three major topics: pre- harvest; postharvest qual- ity and postharvest safety. The Symposium will provide a wide field for scientists, professionals, and students to present their latest find- ings and discuss their cur- rent work related to basic and applied aspects of all fields of quality and safety of fresh horticultural com- modities. What challenges does the industry have to face in the future? Interaction between science and industry has always been one of the problems of in- novation transfer although things have improved over the last few years. This is true in all industry sectors, and particularly in the ag- ricultural and food industry, includ- ing the fresh produce. The industry faces an enormous challenge in the future this include; • the growing global population, which puts more pressure food demand and supply •global climate change, which confronts the management of our resources for a sustainable production, and • the increasing consumers and/ or government policies demand for fresh, nutritional and safe horticultural commodities. Solutions to this future challeng- es can only be achieved through a concerted platform that brings together academic scientists and the industry. This will enable them to interact with each other to dis- seminate the information, share experience and develop a road map for the most effective way to reach the goal. At Fruit Logistica, the researchers will also present their topics at the Fresh Produce Forum and the Future Lab. What are you particu- larly curious about? Over the years there is wide gap between science and industry. The idea of the science related- workshops is to provide a plat- form for the Scientists to present their results to industry partici- pants in FL. Receive feedback from the industry and develop possible collaboration opportuni- ties to further the research on the relevant topics. What is the importance of the Fruit Logistica for your research facility, how important is the trade fair for the industry as a whole? Fruit Logistica is a major exhibition related to fresh produce industry mainly including producers, sup- pliers and institutional agencies. It will provide a much needed plat- form for increased interaction of individual research scientists with various industry R&D entities both as direct exhibitors and/or visitors, and regional/national agencies. This will help academic scientists in building up excitements and enthusiasm for exhibitions as a platform for information dissemi- nation and acquiring new knowl- edge. Fruit Logistica trade fair as a whole is of great importance as it shows the various mile stones achieved over the years and a glimpse of what the future holds for the industry. A growing global population, the global climate change and an inreasing demand for fresh, nutritional and safe horticul- tural commodities: “The indus- try faces an enormous chal- lenge in the future,” says Dr. -Ing. Pramod V. Mahajan. DIE MESSE talked to him about the FRUTIC symposium, which will be held for the first time in conjunction with Fruit Logistica. Dr. -Ing. Pramod V. Mahajan, Dept. of Horticultural Enginee- ring, Leibniz Institute for Agricul- tural Engineering and Bioecono- my (ATB) Photo: ATB Enriching fresh produce industry with innovations A much needed platform for in- creased interaction The increasing demand for fresh, nutritional and safe horticultural commodities is one of the major challenges the industry has to face. Photo: Lilo Kapp / pixelio.de