TuberSense - Early detection of potato diseases through volatile sensing to reduce food waste in the supply chain

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimate the need to feed a total of 9 billion people by 2050, a task that becomes especially challenging when considering the projected scenario of climate change. A key intervention target is reducing food waste, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and UK governments acknowledge the need for innovative solutions. Waste levels can be elevated in primary production through pre-harvest factors such as environment, variety selection, crop management, disease incidence and post-harvest processes. The UK is also experiencing increased volume of food being rejected due to food safety issues. Date labelling is currently implemented to assure food is consumed when at its optimum quality, however, frequently leads to avoidable food waste.

This Fellowship will tackle the agri-food waste challenge, focusing on reducing crop waste while assuring food safety by creating innovative solutions from farm to fork. It aims to create new tools for increased resilient production systems by identifying key climate-driven challenges in the potato supply chain. It is key to translate our developed knowledge into innovative management tools focused on early detection and potentially preventing major pests and diseases. We also aim to reduce waste in the UK household by developing an innovative labelling system that serves our health, wallet and environment.

Two business - B-hive Innovations Ltd and Branston Ltd, and three academic institutions - the James Hutton Institute, the University of the West of England and the Warwick University have come together to support the applicant Dr Barbara dos Santos Correia to deliver this innovative, complex and multidisciplinary research programme. The research programme will identify emerging threats to UK-grown potatoes via direct contact with field growers and store managers, analysing the volatile headspace of diseased tubers under laboratory and industrial conditions then using this knowledge to develop a sensing system and a spoilage indicator. All generated knowledge and systems will be tested under industrial conditions to ensure future commercial application.

This Fellowship intentionally goes beyond uncovering fundamental knowledge, driven by the applicant's goal of undertaking fundamental research led by industrial needs and shortening the gap between researchers, business and primary producers, and identifying commercial opportunities. This pragmatic approach is expected to bring numerous benefits. B-hive Innovations as host organisation, gaining access to key research institutions, whilst being involved in the latest technological developments around volatile detection for crop management creating benefit from the development of novel products for market exploitation. Collaborators will be directly involved in high quality research, broadening their collaborative network and research areas. Building on her academic knowledge and experience, the applicant will become an extraordinarily well-grounded leading scientist. She will be fully prepared to excel in Applied Science in an industry focused environment.
It is expected the knowledge generated will applied to other root crops, opening new opportunities for business development where the applicant will occupy a leading position, driving the transformation of food systems.