A New Professor Has Designed New Boxes and Cooling Protocols for Citrus Export

Thijs Defraeye has been appointed Professor by Special Appointment of “Data and Simulations for Self-Care Post-Harvest Fresh Food Supply Chains” within the Food, Quality and Design group. The position is funded by Empa, a Swiss research institute involved in materials science and technology. In his research, Defraeye focuses on the loss of quality of fruits and vegetables after harvest; in every shipment within a supply chain. To do this, it uses physical models and data upcycling. Within Wageningen University & Research, Defraeye will work closely with the academic branch and research.

Defraeye works at Empa. There, he tries to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables, fight food waste, and make supply chains more resilient through better decision-making and logistics. Together with its colleagues, Defraeye wants to help provide consumers around the world with nutritious, attractive and affordable fresh food. Take action in the fight against hunger, malnutrition and obesity.

Defraeye studied civil engineering at KU Leuven. “After graduating in 2006, I knew for sure that I would never be on a construction site,” says Defraeye. “I needed a different challenge.” He immersed himself in doctoral research at KU Leuven on convective drying processes in porous materials. He then changed direction and found himself in post-harvest nutrition science and technology.

Science-based improvement
Over the course of his career, Defraeye has traveled to South Africa several times, where he and Citrus Research International have designed new boxes and cooling protocols for citrus export. There he was inspired by the extreme drive of researchers and stakeholders to innovate, and the impact that science and its skills could have. “This collaboration was one of the main drivers for me to set up a post-harvest technology research line,” Defraeye said.

The research
In addition to optimizing shelf life and reducing food waste, Defraeye will look for ways to reduce stakeholder involvement in transport tracking, decision-making and logistics interventions in the years to come. That’s what the new Special Appointed Professor wants to achieve with self-administered food systems. Moreover, food – not stakeholders – is the primary driver of smart decisions and actions to extend the life of food from farm to fork. This applies in particular to domestic and imported fruits, vegetables and ornamental crops.

Source: WUR