Ecodesign of fruit and vegetable postharvest chain: Optimization of packaging and cold chain – EcoFreshChain

1. To carry out a data inventory of current practices and identify the implementation constraints of new Eco Design Packaging (EDP) through a field study of the fruit and vegetable cold chain from post-harvest to consumer. These current practices data will be a source of recommendations for the design of the new packaging and considered as the baseline in comparison with the new eco-design solutions proposed in the project. 2. To develop new recyclable, home compostable and biodegradable packaging made of cellulose with optimized mass transfer properties for the product quality preservation. This innovation requires knowledge of the structure of packaging materials and the relationship with the gas and moisture permeability. The mechanical and barrier properties must be well designed for the efficiency of the product quality preservation knowing that the studied product are strawberry and salad with high degradation rate and short shelf life. 3. To understand the mechanisms and to control the airflow, heat and gas transfer around and inside the developed Consumer Sale Unit (CSU) made of EDP in a pallet. These mechanisms vary due to the product position in a pallet (top, bottom, center, peripheral) and the cold chain conditions, which impact the product quality and the shelf life. These mechanisms become more complex in an airtight CSU due to the product heat of respiration. 4. To evaluate the supply chain performance of strawberry and salad EDP from producer to consumer. The considered performance indicators are the product quality, consumer acceptance, operational cost and environmental impact. A challenge is to obtain reliable and representative field data knowing that they may vary due to the operator and consumer practices, seasons... 5. To disseminate the results to the public. The new knowledge and methodologies developed in this project will be diffused to the scientific, academic, fruit/vegetable stakeholder and consumer. Considering the new trends of food consumption, two types of logistic chains will be studied: local for salad and long distance for strawberry.

Task 1: Logistic and consumer Field study was carried out for strawberry (long supply chain) and salad (local supply chain). This study included interviews with professionals and monitoring of the supply chain from producer to storage at sale point. Consumer interviews, online questionnaire and observational study of refrigerator sorting allowed the understanding of their criteria for buying fruits and vegetables, packaging and “eat or throw away”. Task 2: Packaging The specifications for the surface treatment of cardboard papers of strawberry punnet and salad divider were defined, the fabrication was done, and lidding film was chose. Modeling and measurements were carried out to identify the optimal permeability of punnet under modified atmosphere (MAP) which allows to maintain the internal gas composition at a desired value. Task 3: Product quality The shelf life of strawberries in a sealed punnet under MAP was predicted by a model in function of storage ambient temperature, CO2 and O2 composition. Strawberry spoilage rates were monitored over time and the results were compared with predicted values. Task 4: Transfers within pallet An experimental device of a pallet level has been developed. The air velocity in the device was measured by LDV (Laser Doppler Velocimetry) and the heat transfer coefficient on the punnet’s walls by fluxmeter, making it possible to identify positions at low and high air velocity and heat exchange in a palette. The development of the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamic) model is in progress. Task 6: Environmental Impacts The environmental impacts of different packaging materials was undertaken by a literature review. However, only the data at the manufacturing step were found whereas those of an entire chain are necessary. Simapro software for Life Cycle Analysis was used to evaluate several impacts: GHG emissions, energy consumption, human health, ecosystem and depletion of natural resources. Task 7: Global Model The implementation (using Matlab) of the global model has been started, it currently takes into account 3 cold chain steps (cold room of fruit station, transport and distribution platform). The simplified criteria of a supply chain performance will be improved during the project according to the progress of tasks 3 (quality), 4 (thermal), 5 (logistic cost) and 6 (environmental impact). T8: Communication – Valuation A Teams shared space has been set up to exchange between project partners. The creation of the project website will be carried out in 2022.

EcoFreshChain project will enable fruit and vegetable professionals to have new packaging that meets regulations, while guaranteeing consumer acceptability. The fruit and vegetable stakeholder will also be able to benefit from an easy-to-use numerical tool to assess the performance of the cold chain of the logistics circuits for strawberries (long supply chain) and lettuce (local supply chain). This numerical tool would be generalized to the logistics supply chain of other products.

• Emma Pigneres, Development of 100% bio-circular multi layered food packaging: modelling packaging specifications according to food requirements Case study of respiring food products (Journées GFP Méditerranée, 7-8 avril 2022). Oral communication.
• Emma Pigneres, Multi-layered paper-based food packaging with tailored gas transfer rates for increased usage benefits – Journées de Printemps 2022 du GdR Durabilité des Matériaux BIOsourcés – 11 – 13 May 2022, Grenoble, Oral communication.

The objective is to design a biodegradable packaging to preserve fruits and vegetables along the postharvest chain until consumption. Several issues related to this technology will be studied: control of heat/moisture transfer and airflow within the pallet, which exchanges with the modified atmosphere of packaging, consumer acceptance, logistic cost and environmental impact. A multidisciplinary approach including field practices, consumer behaviour, packaging technology and packing, product quality assessment and shelf life determination, fluid-dynamic, heat and mass transfer, refrigeration equipment, logistics organisation cost and life cycle assessment will be implemented to optimize the post-harvest chain in terms of quality, cost and environmental impact. The approach developed in this project will be validated for salad (local food) and for strawberry (long distance food) and will be generalizable to the whole fruits and vegetables sector.