Global food waste is a major problem facing our planet. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, approximately one-third of all food produced goes to waste. In the developing world, over 40 percent of food losses occur after the product has been harvested. But small farmers all over the world are using innovations that help to protect their harvests, such as using more efficient materials and implementing better storage and processing techniques learned through trainings.
One team of researchers from Thailand and the United States has been working on improving the storage abilities of delicate crops including strawberries, which are highly perishable and fragile. Strawberries are very nutritious, and have been shown to help regulate body sugars, lower inflammation, and even prevent some diseases. It is estimated, however, that strawberries can only be stored for two days before losing significant levels of these antioxidants and phytonutrients that make them so beneficial. Dr. Korakot Chanjirakul and his colleagues from Kasetsart University in Thailand, as well as scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ran tests in which strawberries were treated with ethanol, and then analyzed for storage capabilities. They found that ethanol helped to boost certain compounds in the berries, which helped to resist decay. This development offers great potential for strawberry farmers. By treating their berries with ethanol, they will be able to store their harvests for longer, thus improving their potential sales and incomes.
But by discovering the interaction between the nutritional compounds and ethanol, these scientists made another surprising conclusion – namely, mixing alcohol and strawberries (as well as blackberries) makes the berries more nutritious! The ethanol treatment increased the strawberries’ antioxidant capacity and free radical activity, improving the physiology of the fruit.
The combination of these discoveries is very exciting for strawberry lovers, who will now be able to enjoy more nutritious fruits, as well as for strawberry growers, who can now store their harvests for longer. As scientific research and attention is shifting towards improving crop preservation as well as production, farmers and consumers alike benefit.
By Jenna Banning
Danielle Nierenberg, an expert on livestock and sustainability, currently serves as Project Director of State of World 2011 for the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, DC-based environmental think tank. Her knowledge of factory farming and its global spread and sustainable agriculture has been cited widely in the New York Times Magazine, the International Herald Tribune, the Washington Post, and
other publications.
Danielle worked for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. She is currently traveling across Africa looking at innovations that are working to alleviate hunger and poverty and blogging everyday at Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet. She has a regular column with the Mail & Guardian, the Kansas City Star, and the Huffington Post and her writing was been featured in newspapers across Africa including the Cape Town Argus, the Zambia Daily Mail, Coast Week (Kenya), and other African publications. She holds an M.S. in agriculture, food, and environment from Tufts University and a B.A. in environmental policy from Monmouth College.
