SUSTAINABLE POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGIES OF HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTS TO REDUCE CARBON FOOTPRINT

Cooperation for Climate and Green Deal Symposium, Samsun, Türkiye, 23 - 26 Ekim 2022, ss.25-33

Unfortunately, we lose a significant part of produced horticultural crops after harvest. The lost

product has a huge carbon footprint. The most important postharvest factor in maintaining qu

ality and preventing losses of perishable products is temperature. The cut flowers, fruits and

vegetables that are not sensitive to chilling injury should be stored close to 0°C. This, howe

ver, requires more energy for cooling and thus needs the use and development of sustainable

cooling principles. One obvious solution for storage facilities is the use of solar power. Various

systems have been developed to store surplus energy during the daytime in the form of an ice

buffer that can be used during the night to keep the product cool. Other smart cooling principles

such as the Quest technology runs on reefer containers. These aid in saving energy and lowering

the carbon footprint during refrigerated transport. Cut flowers and other horticultural products

should be transported at low temperatures to keep them fresh from grower to consumer. Howe

ver, refrigerated trucks use about 25% more fuel than non-refrigerated ones. Shipping contai

ners by sea is a more sustainable alternative to conventional airfreight and overland transport

with significantly less CO2 emission. Eco-friendly treatments are another important issue in sus

tainability of horticultural industry. After harvest, cut flowers and some other horticultural crops

are commonly treated with a range of compounds with the aim to improve the storage perfor

mance and to prolong the vase or shelf life. Eco-friendly and sustainable treatments should be

preferred to maintain the postharvest quality of horticultural products. Plastics are being repla

ced by biodegradable packaging, ecofriendly renewable and recyclable materials, new heat-sea

lable, fiber-based materials from sustainably managed or certified forests, and other sustainable

coatings. Novel procedures based on temperature treatments under controlled atmospheres

(CATT) can replace the use of harmful chemicals in insect disinfection. Finally, advanced control

of the distribution chain can minimize the postharvest losses contributing to the sustainability

for horticultural and even all agricultural products.