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US researchers shine light on food waste, freshness
Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are looking at several stages of the farm to table cycle to find ways to reduce waste without sacrificing nutrition and taste.
Infrared light
Ruplal Choudhary, a bioprocess engineer and associate professor of plant, soil and agricultural systems, began looking at uses for infrared light in food processing when he was still a graduate student. Near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopes are becoming more common to determine fats, proteins and carbohydrates in nutritional analysis, but Choudhary also uses the spectroscopes to determine the phytochemical, antioxidant and carotenoid protein make-up of the produce.
Phytonutrients are health-boosting qualities of food occurring naturally in plants that have particular health effects. For example, glucosinolates, a class of phytonutrient, appear in cruciferous (green leaf) vegetables and give those vegetables their odor and flavor. Research suggests that glucosinolates are useful in slowing or stopping the development and growth of cancer.
He’s building a database of known analyses to “train” the spectroscopes in his lab. As the database grows, use of the spectrometer becomes more efficient.
In addition to the spectroscopes, he uses a camera to record the color and texture of fresh produce. Together with the spectroscope, he can even predict taste qualities such as sweetness or crispness. He hopes that the technology he’s using in his lab will find its way to food processing, making sorting fresh produce more efficient.
In a study, conducted with Alan Walters, professor of plant, soil and agricultural systems, he used the spectroscope in the nutrition lab to help the research team determine how harvest-time affects the nutritional value of produce. The team harvested produce at various stages of ripeness and found that the more ripe the fruit or vegetable when harvested, the better its nutritional value. In addition, the team checked nutritional levels after harvest at same day, next day, and after a week. They found that post-harvest nutritional levels declined over time.
This study clearly indicates that for optimum nutritional value, produce should not be harvested early nor should it sit around for a long time in storage. However, that’s a problem for major retailers of fruits and vegetables. It takes time to harvest produce and ship it -- which is why some produce is harvested early and allowed to finish ripening post-harvest. In addition, for a grocery store, quantity and choice is part of marketing – but that can contribute to fresh produce staying in the store longer than a day, two days or even a week.