Supply Chain Management

Truck

The food systems efficiency group focuses on novel technologies and approaches for preventing and reducing food losses throughout the food system supply chain, from the farm to the market. The research projects included in this topic area span the globe and address the FLW challenges unique to both developed and developing countries. Some specific topics of study include advanced packaging for longer shelf life, improved drying technologies for seeds and grains, and locally appropriate cold storage technologies in remote rural regions.

Projects

Demonstrating the Potential

Demonstrating the Potential for On-Site Electricity Generation from Food Waste Using Containerized Anaerobic Digestion Units

Ned Spang
Chris Simmons
Capitalizing on the known renewable energy-generating benefits of AD, this project will deploy and demonstrate a community-scale, containerized, factory-built, modular, scalable and stackable AD system to convert food waste into usable electricity, heat and liquid fertilizer. The system is fully contained in shipping containers, making it easy and cheap to transport and install. The AD processing is automated and can be remotely monitored, allowing it to be operated on a daily basis by operators without a technical background in AD systems. The development of the FLEXIBUSTER™ technology started in 2009, and several prototypes have since then been successfully tested at several sites in Europe, but this project represents the first deployment of this innovative technology product in California.

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Publications

  • Escribano, S., N. Sugimoto, A.J. Macnish, W.V. Biasi, and E.J. Mitcham. 2016. Efficacy of liquid 1-methylcyclopropene to delay ripening of ‘Bartlett’ pears. Postharvest Biol. Technol. (in press).

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