The ARC Training Centre for Innovative Horticultural Products was training innovative, ‘industry savvy’ food scientists who will contribute to the development of the fresh produce sector through new products with improved shelf life and quality.
The Centre was launched in December 2015 with Australian Government funding of $2.2 million through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Research Program and closed in September 2019.
With $4.2 million total funding, the Centre was a collaboration with Woolworths, the University of Tasmania, and Australia-wide industry partners and researchers. The Centre was located at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture.
Research projects
The Centre’s PhD students were working collaboratively with industry to analyse the market and develop new fruit and vegetable products with improved shelf life and quality. Their research included projects on:
- Packaging to improve freshness and shelf life of produce
- The sustainability of greenhouse growing
- Reducing potato greening
- Extending the shelf life of baby spinach and other leafy salad vegetables
- Banana supply chain damage
- Minimising 'resin canal disorder' in mangoes
- Motivations for buying organic food
- Extending the shelf life of cherries
- Improving the quality of 'fresh cut' fruit (watermelon)
- Extending the shelf life of watermelon
- Reducing salad green waste
Resources
- Overview - ARC Training Centre for Innovative Horticultural Products (PDF 5MB)
- Fact sheet - PLA for food packaging in Australia (PDF 498KB)
- Fact sheet - Potato greening (PDF 384KB)
- Fact sheet - Food packaging (PDF 404KB)
- Fact sheet - Baby leaf salad (PDF 422KB)
- eNews - March 2019
- eNews - December 2018
- eNews - November 2018
- eNews - September 2018
- eNews - August 2018
- eNews - March 2018
