Reviving Hippocratic Wisdom through the Mediterranean Diet: Promoting Citrus Consumption for Health and Sustainability
via Living Labs & Digital Tools

MED4CITRUS ambition is to redefine the role of citrus from a simple dietary fruit/component to a central, scientifically validated tool for preventive health actions. While citrus is widely consumed, they have not been integrated into public health strategies. By highlighting the ability of citrus to exert disease prevention (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, obesity, oxidative stress), the projects ambition aims to create a measurable impact on public health preservation. MED4CITRUS is characterized by behavioural ambition. Instead of traditional, passive awareness campaigns, the project adopts an informed behavioural change support approach, according to acclaimed and academically validated models. Employing methods from personal informatics, game-based learning, gamification, and experiential learning, the project will deliver a cross-platform digital ecosystem that can address the diverse needs of different age groups and cultural backgrounds with a variety of interconnected media, to achieve deep, lasting behavioural change. This represents a major change from current, static, educational strategies to dynamic, emotionally engaging, and personalized learning experiences. MED4CITRUS carries the cultural and heritage ambition. The project valorises and revives traditional and novel citrus varieties reconnecting communities with local biodiversity and culinary traditions. Furthermore, MED4CITRUS has a sustainability ambition. By developing new value-added “citrus culinary preparations” which support peel consumption and zero-waste approaches, the project seeks to transform regional citrus value chains, showcasing new business models, empowering small producers, and opening niche premium markets with novel species (like orangequat). This ambition extends beyond incremental improvements to systemic economic revitalization of rural Mediterranean areas, as it embraces the environmental and social impact of the citrus based food systemThe overall objectives of MED4CITRUS are: (a) highlight the importance of the Mediterranean diet by promoting citrus as functional foods that enhance public health, reinforce local food systems, and contribute to sustainable agri-food transitions, (b) provide science-based educational material, digital games and gastronomic experiences that enhance public awareness upon the benefits of Mediterranean diet, (c) provide country-oriented data and inputs via LLs and interactions from various stakeholders that generate policy recommendations and norms that safeguard public health and wellbeing.

Sustainably-sourced novel integrated technologies based on
bio-polymers as a viable tool to extend post-harvest performance
of Citrus fruits

Citrus is the main fruit crop grown in Cyprus, having a significant impact on Cypriot economy since ca. 90% of production is being exported.The Cyprus Phassouri Plantations Company (CPPC) is producing ca. 40% of total Cypriot production in ca. 500 hectares; packaging is taking place in its state -of-the-art packing house facilities prior to be distributed in premium markets abroad. Multiple factors such as physiological disorders, mechanical and physical damage and most promptly fungal spoilage greatly affect post-harvest losses in citrus industry. The management of these factors has been an intricate part and the main challenge for the citrus industry towards sustainably-sourced supply chain management protocols. Recently, the use of biopolymer based coatings (chitosan, alginate and cellulose) has been exploited to control fungal decays and extend post-harvest fruit quality. Noteworthy, scarce information exist regarding the combination of different seaweed derivatives (Fucoidan ,Laminarin, Mannitol, oligosaccharides etc.) with these biopolymers. The current industrial-based PhD project aims to dissect the efficacy of an array of biopolymer-based coatings, which aim to enhance natural defense of the main citrus fruits (mandarin, orange, lemon) and improve post-harvest storage while limiting fungal decay. The overreaching objective of the project is to successfully incorporate such technologies in a commercial set-up in citrus postharvest supply chain (TRL 7-8). Towards the implementation of the aforementioned goals, CPPC will cooperate with two well-respected research groups from Cyprus University of Technology with extensive experience in post-harvest technologies and biopolymer coatings. Project coordinator and PhD candidate (Ms Anna M Taliadorou) is expected to be highly benefited by the grant that includes secondments to world-class research units from Spain (CEBAS-CSIC, IVIA, IATA-CSIC) abroad that offered to provide pro bono consultancy.

Fruits And berries thRiving in agronoMy powered by photovoltaics (PV)

The replacement of conventional energy sources such as oil and gas by renewable ones such as photovoltaics (PV) promises to bring inexpensive, abundant, and clean, non-polluting energy to society. With limited energy resources but plenty of sun, Cyprus is rapidly deploying PV parks that produce energy for the grid. However, suitable land is becoming scarce and expensive, while the convert of farmland to PV parks is no longer desirable (or allowed). Finding ways to use the land for energy while preserving and even enhancing the ability of the land for food production is ideal. FarmPV will explore agro photovoltaics (agroPV) technologies towards enhanced production volumes of added-value commodities such as raspberry and sweet cherry fruits (RCF) to meet the local demand for Cyprus in a sustainable, economical, and scalable way. The overarching objectives are:

(1) Innovative Fruit Production System (IFPS): Through PV and agricultural landscape fusion: Incorporate solar energy and exploit it to adapt the climate and to protect against weather extremes.

(2) PV system design aiming at the optimal integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in stone fruit and berry cultivation. Develop systems for monitoring and autonomous operation.

(3) Energy management system (EMS): Put all the software (PV monitoring, precision irrigation/cleaning of panels under one umbrella for easy and efficient operation by the end user (farmer in this case)).

(4) Monitoring the quality and yield of the fruit: evaluate fruit quality and yield efficiency of the different production systems: (1) AgroPV and pearl shading net, (2) pearl shading net and (3) without any shading or protection.