Sustainable Postharvest Solutions for Fruits and Vegetables: Innovations in Processing, Packaging and Storage Systems
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 November 2025 | Viewed by 464
Special Issue Editor
Interests: postharvest; food quality; packaging materials; shelf life; food analysis; nutritional composition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The global food industry is experiencing a paradigm shift towards sustainability, driven by the urgent need to reduce waste, enhance food security, and minimize its environmental impact. Fruits and vegetables, being highly perishable, require innovative postharvest solutions to extend their shelf life, maintain their quality, and ensure their safety.
The postharvest loss of fruits and vegetables remains a significant global challenge, with up to 40% of fresh produce wasted due to inadequate handling, storage, and processing. These losses not only impact food security but also lead to economic losses and negative environmental impacts.
The use of sustainable practices in processing, packaging, and storage systems will be essential to meet these challenges while addressing consumer demand for eco-friendly and health-conscious food choices.
Additionally, sustainable postharvest solutions are urgently needed, as they will combine innovative technologies with eco-friendly practices to enhance the quality, safety, and shelf-life of fresh produce.
This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research and advancements in sustainable postharvest technologies, focusing on processing, packaging, and storage systems that minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency.
We welcome original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that address the following potential topics:
- Sustainable processing technologies
- Eco-friendly packaging materials
- Smart storage systems
- Postharvest management for reducing food waste
- Sustainable cold chain logistics
- The applications of nanotechnology post-harvest
- Integrated postharvest solutions.
Dr. Valeria Rizzo
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- sustainable postharvest solutions
- fruits and vegetables
- processing innovations
- storage technologies
- eco-friendly packaging
- postharvest losses
- food waste reduction
- cold chain logistics
- shelf-life extension
- integrated solutions
- quality preservation
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