The Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) leads the international Fusion consortium, an ambitious project that brings together 17 entities from nine Mediterranean countries—including Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Tunisia—with the goal of reducing food loss and waste in the fruit and vegetable supply chain by at least 40%, especially for key products such as tomatoes and peppers.
Coordinated by Professor Encarna Aguayo of the UPCT Department of Agricultural Engineering, the project has received €4.5 million in funding from the European PRIMA program (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area). Over the next three years, innovative technological solutions will be implemented to better preserve food, optimize logistics, and extend product shelf life.
The measures to be implemented include:
- Portable solar-powered refrigeration chambers with anti-ethylene systems.
- Natural edible coatings.
- Cold plasma disinfection.
- Digital tools with artificial intelligence to monitor quality and predict shelf life.
In addition, the project includes training content, best practices, and a digital food traceability tool, applicable throughout the entire chain, from production to consumer.
Fusion also seeks to design sustainable business models that can be scaled and adapted to other Mediterranean territories, promoting a profound and sustainable transformation of agri-food systems.
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