INCREASED shelf life and preservation of fresh cut fruit and vegetables has been the focus of a conference held in Hobart on Tuesday.
The conference hosted post-doctoral fellow, Matthew Wilson, who discussed developments in packing and preservation technologies to offer new insight into ways to improve fresh cut fruit.
Dr Wilson’s research aims to identify and evaluate innovative new packaging options that offer significant supplier, retailer and consumer benefits over existing methods.
As part of the two-day conference there will be presentations from national leaders at the forefront of food innovation, including representatives from Woolworths, Meat and Livestock Australia and Food Innovation Australia.
Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture’s Associate, Professor Tom Ross, who leads the centre for Innovative Horticultural Products, said the conference was an excellent opportunity to share innovation and knowledge.
“This impact-driven approach gets people energised. We are not just going into industry with our results, we are taking it that step further and engaging them throughout the whole process,” he said.
Other topics to be discussed at the conference include: translating research into innovation and consumer expectations.