Development of innovative priming technologies safeguarding yield security in soft fruit crops through a cutting-edge technological approach

The development of non-toxic priming agents (PAs) is an important R&D activity, driven by European Commission (EC) policy. PRIMESOFT´s overarching objective is to explore innovations in the application of PAs in value-added soft fruit crops from a range of perspectives and strengthen educational, research and innovation activities among the Widening Institution (WI) and 4 internationally-renowned AdvancedPartners (APs). Through this multi-actor approach, we aim to bridge the gap between chemical and nanomaterial priming research and agricultural practice in order to bring the inventions closer to application and commercialization towards resource-efficient smart farming practices. Besides the novelty of its technological approach that will be validated by sophisticated Life cycle cost analysis, PRIMESOFT´s ambition is to use computational analysis and mechanistic modelling to identify key components that regulate the mode of action of PAs through the employment of transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches. The WI is expected to receive pioneering education, research and technological capacity by a polymorphic Consortium that share highly complementary skills and the nature of their activities creates added value. Outreach activities are expected to create significant scientific, societal and economic impacts and are particularly dedicated to 8 researchers of the WI in order to acquire the necessary competencies to seek a position of professional maturity. Specifically, PRIMESOFT has planned 2 thematic workshops, 4 training schools with hands-on practice in state-of-the-art methodologies, and an international scientific conference. PRIMESOFT aspires to enhance strategic networking activities of WI with both APs and stakeholders of the agro/food sector during and beyond the end of the project. To this aim, a business plan towards the development of a Regional Center of Excellence in Plant Sciences will be developed.

Coordinator

The general objectives of this project aimed at the evaluation of quality attributes, phytochemical profile, antioxidant potency and overall postharvest performance of indigenous/traditional apple cultivars, grown in Cyprus, namely ‘Kathista’ and ‘Lortiko’, using ‘Gala’ as reference cultivar. Such traditional cultivars are highly appreciated by the consumers, yet their postharvest performance and phytochemical content were largely unknown. Total phenolic content was dependent on cultivar and length of cold storage, while hydroxycinnamic acids were always at higher levels compared to total flavonols. Quality attributes and polyphenolic content of the traditional apple cultivars were comparable with ‘Gala’ at harvest; thus they can be considered a good source of nutraceuticals as summer apple cultivars. However, extended cold storage deteriorated fruit performance and antioxidant capacity, particularly in ‘Lortiko’ fruit. To this extent, a database for qualitative attributes, nutritional value and antioxidant potential of these cultivars was built. This work resulted in one publication in refereed journal, while a significant number of dissemination activities were carried out, including the development of a website (www.cut.ac.cy/apple) and a well-attended seminar.

The main aim of such internal (CUT) grants is to assist new academic staff to establish their own research program. This grant was particularly important for initiating my research activity at CUT in a way it allowed me to recruit an experienced post-doctoral research associate and to cover the travel cost and cost of living of a professor from Argentina, who spent one month working in our CUT facilities. These cooperations have led to the establishment of a number of experimental protocols that have already been applied in research projects, and the research findings (exclusively carried out at CUT) have been disseminated in the form of three publications in refereed journals. Overall, this grant was particularly important to strengthen the interdisciplinary research with academic groups from other countries, as well as to explore the innovation potential of new approaches undertaken in the area of Postharvest Physiology and Technology of fruit crops. Research findings of this project have been disseminated in the form of 7 publications in refereed journals.

Sustainable optimization of the value chain of added-value fresh and dried berries through the integration of Precision Agriculture management strategies and innovative dehydration and edible coating

Maintaining a healthy diet requires sufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables. However, nowadays, the fast pace of modern lifestyle discourages individuals from reaching their optimal daily intake via consumption of fresh fruits/vegetables, ultimately creating an increasing demand for natural, nutritive, healthy and personalized ready-to-eat snacks. It is also an accepted actuality that there is a lack of healthy food snacks for personalized nutrition in the market. Hence, the development of such products, which can also be tailor-made to the needs of specific groups (young children, elderly, diabetic, sportive etc.), is a long-awaiting innovation. FRIETS project aims in training crossdisciplinary scientists from 5 European countries, in collaboration with international SMEs, for the development and marketization of personalized, nutritious and innovative, soft fruit smart snacks that contain no added sugar, sodium or chemical preservatives, as a palatable way to increase daily fruit consumption. FRIETS smart snacks will include novel processed berries (strawberry, raspberry and blackberry) with superior quality and nutritional characteristics, as well as extended shelf-life. Pre-harvest management practices will be optimized for cultivating high-quality berries. Low impact post-harvest technologies will be developed and optimised including (1) mild and energy efficient drying techniques (e.g. osmotic dehydration, freeze drying, microwave vacuum drying or their combination) using limited or no sugar or salt, and low temperatures, (2) composite or multi-layered edible coatings, based on micro- and macro-algae components, including encapsulated or non-encapsulated natural functional ingredients. Life Cycle Analysis and socio-techno-economic analysis will be implemented for the sustainable development of new products. FRIETS implementation will be based on staff secondments, strengthening collaborative research among different countries and sectors.

Partner

The objective of this project was to develop a set of postharvest ozone treatments in order to control horticultural products’ quality attributes, in terms of pathogen susceptibility, chemical residues and antioxidant-related compounds. In addition, this work aimed to provide insights into the ozone’s mode of action by analysing gene and protein expression changes in response to ozone treatments. The main outputs of the project was: (1) the development of specific ozone treatments/technology in the horticultural industry for effective fruit preservation, (2) the improvement in the quality and safety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and (3) the molecular view of the underlying mechanisms involved in ozone’s postharvest action. My involvement in the project resulted in two publications in refereed journals, dealing with the efficacy of ozone in kiwifruit postharvest performance.

Considering the economic importance of peach, and also the fact that around 70 new peach cultivars are launched on a yearly basis worldwide, the selection of the most appropriate peach cultivars is of prime importance. Initially, the most widely grown and new introduced peach cultivars was evaluated for their quality attributes and phytochemical properties at harvest and during maintenance at room temperature. Based on these data, a set of 4 cultivars with diverse phytochemical profiles were further evaluated for their postharvest performance and antioxidant profiles after short or prolonged cold storage. In addition, a large scale transcriptomic analysis for a given cultivar and specific storage treatments was carried out. Throughout this approach we identified genes differentially regulated during various storage treatments and to correlate them with quality traits, most promptly those that govern the antioxidant properties and the overall phytochemical profile of peach fruit. This work resulted in two publications in refereed journals and defense of three oral presentations in International Conferences.

A demonstration project called “ORGANIKO LIFE+” was envisioned to provide the field-based evidence that promote Organic Farming (OF) and its products as an important means of mitigating and adapting to climate change in Cyprus; the Italian partner (KC) will provide to the Cypriot team their long-standing experience in LIFE+ climate mitigation projects in Italy and the demands and challenges of the field at the European Commission level. Cyprus is a low-performing country in the organic sector. Among the main objectives of the project were to: (1) develop a strategic national plan of mitigating climate change in agriculture and demonstrate the comparative performance of organic production using a series of climate mitigation indicators in the field, (2) demonstrate comparative advantages of selected organic products in decreasing the body burden of organophosphate pesticides in children, (3) tailor organic farming protocols of major importance for Cyprus agriculture to the local farm(er) characteristics and (4) evaluate the current situation in Cyprus (before and during project implementation) regarding technical stakeholders’ bottlenecks and consumer perceptions. My involvement dealt with the determination of qualitative properties of organically-grown apples compared to conventional ones, as well as the efficient transfer of the results.

The project implements conservation and demonstration actions that highlights the importance of two historical High Nature Value Farmlands (HNVFs) in Cyprus: the traditional vineyard agroecosystem and the carob agrosilvopastoral system. Among main project objectives is to support and promote sustainable agricultural practices that enhance ecosystem services and conserve biodiversity in HNVF, identify strengths and weaknesses of current agricultural management practices with respect to biodiversity conservation, build a knowledge base for vineyard and carob grove HNVF, in Cyprus and encourage stakeholder involvement and increase public awareness regarding HNVF issues through active participatory learning. My contribution involved the defence of two oral presentations about current trends in carob cultivation (extension events); I have also acted as co-author in a manual (72 pages) regarding sustainable agriculture practices in carob groves.

Valorization of the reference indigenous grape cultivar ‘Xynisteri’ under variable vineyard conditions through sensorial analyses and aromatic characterization

Cyprus is one of the very few phyloxera-free areas of the world that cultivates vines in their own roots. Almost ¾ of the total cultivated area uses indigenous cultivars, mainly 'Mavro' and 'Xynisteri' cultivars. The latter is considered as a reference cultivar, used for the production of white wines (light-yellow in colour, balanced, with moderate alcohol and a delicate floral taste), as well as for the production of ‘Commandaria’, a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) premium dessert wine. Notably, ‘Xynisteri’ is suitable for extreme weather conditions such as drought and hot climate, thus rendering it is an ideal cultivar for marginal soils and adverse climatic conditions. ‘Xynisteri’ is characterized as a very vigorous cultivar, well-adapted in non-irrigated soils and at high altitudes. Under such conditions, wines with distinct aromatic character can be produced, including additionally the potential of aging. Although ‘Xynisteri’ cultivation is of immense significance for the local economy and many wineries cultivate it, it is poorly characterized. Vasiliko Oinopoieio Kyperoundas is a leading company in the field of viticulture and oenology, located in the mountainous area of Cyprus (1200 m) and ‘Xynisteri’ accounts for 50% of its total wine production. The aim of the current project is to valorize the potential of ‘Xynisteri’ under variable vineyard practices through the determination of quality attributes and oenological properties. Special attention will be devoted in the aromatic characterization of ‘Xynisteri’ grapes by means of sensory evaluation and volatile analysis through GC-MS and Electronic nose. At the level of basic research, RNA sequencing for determining expression profiles of genes involved in aroma biosynthetic pathways will be carried out.  Towards the implementation of the aforementioned goals, four Research Units from Academia with highly complementary expertise (vineyard management, determination of qualitative and sensorial attributes, gene expression analyses) will be involved. The expected results of the project will contribute towards the improvement of the quality of the ‘Xynisteri’ wine and release into the market of new added-value products.