DIGIFRESH: Digital monitoring of fruits and vegetables freshness

It is not easy to determine for how long fresh fruit and vegetables can be stored on shelves in shops or at home, as differences in storage conditions along the supply chain can affect quality and shelf life. Therefore, the shelf life and freshness of fresh fruit and vegetables is not currently commercially specified. The difference in storage conditions, and unspecified shelf life means that fresh fruit and vegetables entering the supply chain risk losing quality before they are sold or consumed, resulting in financial losses and increased food waste.

The DigiFresh project will help us to determine the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables, at each stage in the supply chain.

As part of the DigiFresh project, we will monitor the conditions which can affect quality of fresh fruit and vegetables such as temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide, in order to develop digital twins that are able to predict freshness and/or remaining shelf life. Retailers will be able to use these models to keep fruit and vegetables fresher for longer, reduce financial and food losses, and increase customer satisfaction.

This project will involve integrating existing commercial sensor technology and real time monitoring with smart digital twins, to translate storage conditions in the supply chain into remaining shelf life.