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Peach is a very perishable climacteric fruit whose firmness may decay rapidly depending on the temperature. Refrigeration is usually used to delay ripening and maintain fruit quality. However, refrigeration management is often not optimized. This work aims to characterize the refrigeration conditions (temperature and humidity) of 3 peach producers of Beira Interior region, Portugal. Additionally, correlate those conditions with peach quality evolution comparing 2 peach cultivars – Royal Summer and Royal Time – with similar harvest dates but different acidity content. The 3 refrigeration chambers monitored have very distinct conditions of average air temperature, namely 8.29±3.53 °C (local C), 5.50±0.88 °C (local G) and 0.80±0.83 °C (local L). At harvest time ‘Royal Summer’ firmness was 6.61 kgf and ‘Royal Time’ was 5.20 kgf. Fruit firmness decreases faster for ‘Royal Time’ cultivar than for ‘Royal Summer’. The results suggest that in general farmers use inadequate range temperature for a long conservation period. However, for short periods, 7 to 10 days, conditions near those of local G allow good quality fruits maintenance without lacking of ripening or problems of chilling injury, and, simultaneously, save energy that is also not only a desirable international goal but also contributes to decreasing of production costs., Peach is a very perishable climacteric fruit whose firmness may decay rapidly depending on the temperature. Refrigeration is usually used to delay ripening and maintain fruit quality. However, often temperature storage conditions are not optimized. This work aims to characterize the storage conditions (temperature and humidity) of three peach producers of Beira Interior region, Portugal. Additionally, correlate those conditions with peach qualityevolution comparing two peach cultivars – Royal Summer and Royal Time – with similar harvest dates but very different acidity content. The three refrigeration chambers monitored have very distinct conditions of average air temperature, namely 8.29±3.53 °C (local C), 5.50±0.88 °C (local G) and 0.80±0.83 °C (local L) but similar high humidity, in an averagerange of 90%-98%. At harvest time, major differences were in fruit firmness and acidity. ‘Royal Summer’ firmness was 6.61 kgf and ‘Royal Time’ was 5.20 kgf. For all storage conditions, fruit firmness decrease faster for ‘Royal Time’ cultivar than for ‘Royal Summer’. The results suggest that in general farmers use inadequate range temperature for long storageperiod. For short periods of 7 days, conditions like those of local G allow fruit quality maintenance like firmness and loss of weight without problems of chilling injury, and, simultaneously, save energy that is also not only a desirable international goal but also contributes to decrease of production costs.

This study is within the activities of Project “PrunusPÓS - Optimization of processes for the storage, cold conservation, active and/or intelligent packaging and food quality traceability in post-harvested fruit products”, project n.º PDR2020-101-031695, Partnership n.º 87, initiative n.º 175, promoted by PDR 2020 and co-funded by FEADER within Portugal 2020. We thank CERFUNDAO farmers’ organization for cherries supply and participation., Cherry is a highly perishable fruit widely appreciated that is only commercialized during a short period. The post-harvest control and monitoring of this fruit is central and essential for optimal consumption in its highest state of quality. The conservation process aimed to inhibit the microbial propagation is usually accomplished by low temperatures and/or variable atmosphere composition. This paper describes experimental tests conducted in different refrigeration chambers located in industrial and laboratorial facilities. The latter one includes modified atmosphere and controlled atmosphere chambers. The tests were performed with four different concentration of O2 and CO2 in the controlled atmosphere chamber. Fruit samples extracted from each chamber were analyzed at specific residence times and several organoleptic characteristics were analyzed. The results show that the modified and controlled atmosphere maintain the fruit quality in terms of size, color, appearance and firmness, thus increasing their shelf life and food safety.

This study is within the activities of Project “PrunusPós - Optimization of processes for the storage, cold conservation, active and/or intelligent packaging and food quality traceability in post-harvested fruit products”, project n.º PDR2020-101-031695, Partnership n.º 87, initiative n.º 175, promoted by PDR 2020 and co-funded by FEADER within Portugal 2020., This paper presents the current status and future trends of sensor technologies for food products traceability, specifically for systems devoted to be applied in the cold storage and refrigerated transport of horticultural products. The available monitoring technologies such as dataloggers, TTI, WSN, RFID, and combined approaches are evaluated and compared in terms of dimensions, sensor parameter (temperature, relative humidity, water vapor, ethylene and other gases released during the biological processes of fruit), robustness, reliability, energy autonomy, bandwidth (if applicable), connection, among others. The aim of the study consists in evaluating how these technologies can be successfully applied for traceability of horticultural products and are what the future trends in terms of technical and technological specifications that will guide the development of these systems. It is expected that the increasing use of these systems for food traceability increases food quality and safety, reducing food waste.

This paper assesses the potential for technological modernization and innovation based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in traditional agri‐food companies located in the central region of Portugal. A survey was applied to 50 agri‐food companies of cereals, cheese, olive oil, dry sausages, honey, wine, and horticultural sectors. Results analysis show that companies use computers, have internet service, and use social networks for business purposes. However, most of it have no webpage, do not use internet for advertising/selling/buying products, and have not promoted collaborators’ ICT training. Companies expect webpages to improve their productivity and/or marketing products/services. Recommendations were provided to promote the use of ICT for business purposes. Webpages, Facebook pages, and CRM systems were developed to a limited set of companies. The results of the satisfaction survey of the ICT solution confirm the company sales increase due to the web visibility gained by the company products., The project MITTIC—Technological Modernization and Innovation based on ICT in strategic and traditional sectors, is financed jointly by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Operational Programme of Cross‐border Cooperation Spain‐Portugal (POCTEP) 2007–2013

This study is within the activities of Project “PrunusPÓS - Optimization of processes for the storage, cold conservation, active and/or intelligent packaging and food quality traceability in post-harvested fruit products”, project n.º PDR2020-101-031695, Partnership n.º 87, initiative n.º 175, promoted by PDR 2020 and co-funded by FEADER within Portugal 2020., This paper presents the results of audits performed in 60 companies of the food processing industry, specifically of meat, dairy, horticultural and bread products. The refrigeration volume, type of refrigeration system, refrigerant, building and insulation materials of infrastructure and refrigeration chambers, average air temperature and humidity, and the energy consumption are presented, compared and discussed per sector. The analysis allows to provide several measures and best practices aimed for the improvement of the thermal performance and energy efficiency of the food processing industry. The implementation of simple and very cost-effective transversal electricity savings measures such as awareness and/or training of operators, proper maintenance and monitoring tasks can benefit the sector. Tailored energy efficiency measures by sector, which may offer savings on several levels, are discussed. These best practices may increase productivity and competitiveness and reduce the environmental impact, and thus improve the global sustainability of the Portuguese food sector.

O projeto +AGRO - Qualificação organizacional, energética e de Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho (SST) da indústria agroalimentar visa qualificar as Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PME) do setor agroalimentar para a adoção de estratégias inovadoras, com recurso às Tecnologias da Informação, Comunicação & Eletrónica (TICE), que lhes permitam aumentar a sua produtividade e eficiência ao nível da prevenção de riscos de SST, da eficiência energética e da otimização de processos de produção. Assim, no âmbito do projeto +AGRO foi desenvolvido o presente guia, que pretende ser uma ferramenta prática na caracterização dos perigos e riscos das empresas agroalimentares, em particular no subsetor dos produtos lácteos. Os incidentes (acidentes ou quase acidentes) são uma realidade transversal a todos os setores de atividade, pelo que a SST visa garantir a integridade física, psíquica e a saúde dos trabalhadores e, simultaneamente assegurar a produtividade das empresas. A garantia de condições de SST adaptadas aos riscos e atividades das empresas é um fator diferenciador que beneficia os trabalhadores, a organização e a interação com partes interessadas. A SST é regulamentada por legislação nacional e comunitária, bem como referenciais normativos, obrigando as empresas a estarem preparadas para prevenir os riscos existentes e cumprir esses requisitos legais/ normativos. Para tal, as empresas devem adotar políticas de prevenção que lhes permitam assegurar a integridade física, psíquica e a saúde dos seus trabalhadores, cumprir os requisitos legais/normativos aplicáveis e, adotar boas práticas de SST. Com este guia pretende-se dotar as empresas do subsetor dos produtos lácteos de informações, ferramentas e boas práticas que lhes permitam.