Identification & Background:
Project title: RevestCAST – Optimization of industrial processes for edible coatings application for post-harvest preservation of chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.).
Project code: 49276 – RevestCAST
Main objective: Develop an edible chitosan-based coating to delay the chestnuts weight loss and to reduce the proliferation of microbial load during storage, without compromising the fruit quality attributes.
Region of intervention: North
Beneficiary entities:
Polytecnic Institute of Bragança-IPB
SORTEGEL – Produtos Congelados S.A.
MORE – Collaborative Laboratory Mountains of Research; Instituto Politécnico de Bragança
Approval date: 02-12-2020
Start date: 31-01-2021
Conclusion date: 30-06-2023
Total eligible investment: 723.096,87 €
Financial support of the European Union: 483.268,51€
Objectives
- Develop an edible chitosan-based coating;
- Optimize the conditions of application at an industrial scale;
- Reduce water losses by 60% in stored chestnuts;
- Reduce the number of spoiled chestnuts due to microbial growth during storage.
Activities
- A1 – Definition of coatings formulations and adaptation of the industry processing line
- A2 – Optimization of the edible coating’s application process at industrial level
- A3 – Studies of the coatings influence on the chestnut’s characteristics during storage
- A4 – Project dissemination and communication
CoLAB MORE leads Activity 1, responsible for defining formulations for chestnut coatings and adapting the industrial processing line, participating in the tasks of optimizing the methodology and application conditions of coatings at an industrial level (Activity 2) and evaluating the influence of coatings in storage (Activity 3).
Expected results
Develop an innovative solution that efficiently ensures the reduction of weight loss and microbial proliferation of chestnuts during storage;
Develop a simple application methodology, easy to execute, with low costs and adapted to the industrial environment, to later be explored by other chestnut processing industries.
