A new network of post-harvest research institutions has been established across the UK as a result of the recent reduction of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the closing of Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research. This innovation advances the agriculture sector’s capacity for controlling and storing gathered produce, which is a huge step forward.

“To protect food supply chains and minimize food waste it is vital that resources for research to improve crop handling and storage are fit for purpose. This cannot be covered by an individual organization but requires a strong national network,” Prof. Sheryl Hendriks, Director of NRI, said.

The Crop Storage and Post-harvest Solutions (CSPS) facility network encompasses three critical locations in the United Kingdom. A collaboration between ADAS, Crop Health and Protection (CHAP), the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Greenwich, and the James Hutton Institute (JHI) resulted in the creation of this new network. They have collaborated to build and operate the CSPS facilities, to advance research and innovation in agricultural storage and post-harvest techniques.

“The facilities offer a diverse range of advanced capabilities such as the ability to simulate multiple supply chain environments while exercising precise control and monitoring over essential storage conditions – temperature, humidity, and atmospheric composition such as variable CO2 levels,” according to a recent press release.

Priorities for initial research will include developing pre- and post-harvest monitoring and modeling techniques to predict storage potential, as well as supply chain tracking and monitoring, optimizing store management for energy efficiency, investigating automation and labor-saving opportunities, testing potato sprout suppressant technologies, and evaluating sustainable packaging materials.

“Crop storage research is always the Cinderella of the food supply chain research portfolio, even though it underpins the whole thing: we don’t eat all that we harvest immediately and so need to store many crops. This new initiative should herald a new wave in data-enabled crop storage research and see it better integrated with the growing environment to determine the impact of agricultural growing practices and innovations therein. The new storage research units are at a scale that mimics industrial crop storage but allows for the flexibility to deliver state-of-the-art research and impact in the agri-food sector,” Prof. Derek Stewart, Director of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC), at The James Hutton Institute, added.

The CSPS facility network intends to increase the resilience of the food supply chain by tackling major issues like decreasing food waste, extending shelf life, and optimizing the food value chain from primary production to retail.

“Stakeholders will have the opportunity to engage in vital research focused on developing sensors, tags, and bio-indicators to enable better management of produce quality. Additional interest will be on investigating innovative methods to control microbial decay and spoilage after harvest will be tested and lastly, understanding and controlling the biological factors influencing food storage and shelf-life,” the James Hutton Institute representatives summed up.