Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

University of Florida (FL)
Jeff Brecht, Steve Sargent, Tie Liu

Objective 1. Adapt or develop harvest, handling, and storage technologies to improve fruit quality, increase consumption, and reduce food waste.

Identification of genes and metabolites linked to broccoli postharvest responses under controlled atmosphere (CA) storage revealed networks regulating senescence and key senescence-associated genes (SAGs).

Developed a semi-permeable fruit coating using corn zein plus coconut oil to extend mango shelf life by creating an internal modified atmosphere.

Determined that essential oils (white thyme, oregano, savory) effectively control Monilinia fructicola decay in peaches and blueberries.

Described senescence and chilling injury development in stored finger lime fruit.

Expanded the FoodTransport App to include new modules for meat and seafood safety and handling.

Conducted field and extension outreach, including finger lime, mango, and blood orange postharvest workshops.

Short-term outcomes: Broccoli and mango industries can better manage storage and marketing through CA strategies and coatings; growers gained tools to reduce fungal losses and transport spoilage.

University of Georgia (GA)
Angelos Deltsidis, Zilfina Rubio, Orestis Giannopoulos, Ramsey Corn, Taiwo Owolanke, Chinonso Ayogu, Amit Godara, Vinicius Araujo, Brayan Alvarado

Objective 1. Enhance and/or adapt current handling, storage and postharvest technologies to ensure high-quality products to increase acceptability.

Peach: Research on chilling injury detection and mitigation using ozone nanobubbles and elevated storage temperatures.

Blueberry: Determined that delayed harvest decreases storability and firmness; preharvest light management through photoselective shading affects fruit quality.

Blackberry: Investigated gaseous ozone and controlled atmosphere storage to mitigate red drupelet reversion.

Citrus: Showed ethylene degreening and cold shock improve satsuma color without harming internal quality.

Onion: Evaluated mechanical harvesting and bruise susceptibility to improve efficiency and shelf life.

Strawberry: Published an Extension Circular (C-1327) guiding cultivar selection based on productivity and quality.

Cross-commodity outreach: Demonstrated antimicrobial coatings for harvest tools and postharvest equipment in commercial trials; contributed to SCRI multi-state training modules.

Objective 3. Advance knowledge of host–pathogen–microbe interactions to maintain high-quality produce and reduce waste.

Characterized Phytophthora cinnamomi isolates from Georgia blueberries, linking pathogenicity to postharvest storability.

Short-term outcomes: New recommendations for reducing chilling injury and improving shelf life in peaches, blueberries, and blackberries; stronger grower adoption of sanitation and coating technologies.

Kansas State University (KS)
Eleni D. Pliakoni, Tricia Jenkins, Cary Rivard, collaborators

Objective 1. Adapt or develop harvest, handling, and storage technologies to improve fruit and vegetable quality, increase consumption, and reduce food waste.

Compared plastic-alternative produce packaging for shelf life and environmental performance; non-vented PLA clamshells extended blueberry shelf life by six days.

Designed a solar-powered CoolBot system for cold storage efficiency and cost savings.

Developed an industry survey on UV-C applications for improving produce safety and quality.

Tested agrivoltaic systems for co-production of solar energy and specialty crops; showed minimal postharvest quality loss for most crops.

Assessed hydroponic wastewater reuse and filtration impacts on romaine lettuce yield, vitamin C, and chlorophyll.

Compared sanitizer application methods for lettuce and tomatoes; electrostatic spraying reduced water loss without quality compromise.

Evaluated nutrient solution volume effects in hydroponic leafy greens, finding crop-specific impacts on nitrate accumulation and antioxidant capacity.

Plan of Work (2025–2026):
Assess circularity of compostable packaging; complete solar cold-storage feasibility; distribute UV-C survey; offer postharvest short course for urban growers.

Short-term outcomes: Local urban growers gained validated data on sustainable packaging and energy-efficient postharvest methods.

North Carolina State University (NC)
Penelope Perkins-Veazie

Objective 1. Enhance and/or adapt current handling, storage and postharvest practices/technologies.

Evaluated 20 canary melon cultivars; defined optimal ripeness indicators and sugar/acid composition. Identified citric acid as dominant and sucrose as primary sugar.

Determined that canary melon can be stored four days at 4 °C without visible injury; 5 days at room temperature increases SSC by 30 %.

Freeze-dried 60 blueberry cultivars and validated near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a rapid tool for estimating sugars, anthocyanins, and chlorogenic acid.

Developed a process to remove sugars from elderberry juice to recover pigments and phenolics for dyes and nutraceuticals.

Objective 2. Expand and translate fundamental plant biology to develop new storage technologies and plant materials.

Applied NIR to blueberry powders to predict anthocyanin and phenolic profiles; identified delphinidin and malvidin as dominant pigments.

Fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae improved bioaccessibility of elderberry phenolics.

Plans for 2026: Deploy portable micro-NIR for field-based quality prediction of anthocyanins, sugars, and pigments.

Short-term outcomes: Defined compositional standards for canary melon; advanced NIR-based tools for blueberry quality assessment.

Cornell University (NY)
Chris Watkins, Yosef Al Shoffe, Robin Dando

Objective 1. Adapt or develop harvest, handling, and storage technologies to improve fruit quality, increase consumption, and reduce food waste.

Determined that ultra-low O₂ (<0.5 %) storage reduces apple losses and enables safe use of higher CO₂ concentrations.

Developed storage strategies to manage Honeycrisp and EverCrisp disorders (bitter pit, flesh browning) through delayed storage and DCA treatments.

Evaluated sensory performance of Wild Twist, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp apples across storage regimes and regions (NY, MI) to link consumer preference with technology.

Demonstrated that conditioning duration affects soft scald and soggy breakdown in ‘Gala’.

Organized Cornell Storage Workshop (Aug 2025) with industry outreach to NY and PA operators.

Short-term outcomes: Industry adopted improved oxygen and CO₂ guidelines, saving millions in storage losses and extending long-term apple marketability.

Virginia State University (VA)
Toktam Taghavi

Objective 1. Adapt or develop postharvest storage and handling practices to improve fruit and vegetable quality.

Conducted initial studies on small-fruit postharvest behavior under varied relative humidity and temperature regimes to guide storage recommendations for local producers.

Partnered with extension and community programs to build capacity for small-scale cold-chain management and waste reduction.

Short-term outcomes: Enhanced postharvest training opportunities for Virginia specialty-crop growers; data collection will inform future research proposals.

Washington State University (WA)
Carolina Torres, Rene Mogollon

Objective 1. Improve quality and reduce losses in specialty fruit through storage technologies.

Continued multi-year work on apple and pear postharvest physiology, focusing on optimizing dynamic controlled atmosphere and non-chemical storage solutions.

Advanced protocols for measuring fruit maturity, firmness, and volatile profiles to support predictive models for storability.

Participated in cross-state collaborations to align storage recommendations and physiological disorder monitoring.

Short-term outcomes: Improved regional integration of postharvest practices; data contributing to standardized predictive storage models for Pacific Northwest pome fruit.

Florida – University of Florida

• Brecht, J.K., S.A. Sargent, A.A. Kader, E.J. Mitcham, F. Maul, P.E. Brecht and O. Menocal. 2024. Manual de Prácticas para el Mejor Manejo Postcosecha del Mango (3rd revision). Publ. HS1190. 67 pp.
• Brecht, J.K., S.A. Sargent, A.A. Kader, E.J. Mitcham, F. Maul, P.E. Brecht and O. Menocal. 2024. Manual de Práticas para o Melhor Manejo Pós-Colheita da Manga (3rd revision). Publ. HS1194.
• Chang, Y., M.D. Ferreira, D. Souza Correa, K.B. Ricardo Teodoro, F. Ramalho Procopio, R. Peres Brexó, A. Sarkhosh, J.K. Brecht. 2025. Advances in postharvest nanotechnology: Enhancing fresh produce shelf life and quality to reduce losses and waste. Postharv. Biol. Technol. 222:113397.
• Elashmawy, R., M. Doron, R. Kanjilal, J.K. Brecht, and I. Uysal. 2025. The digital cold chain: Sensor-driven product quality with AI. Postharvest Biology and Technology 230:113714.
• Habibi, F., J.K. Brecht, and A. Sarkhosh. 2025. Impact of muscadine genotype on postharvest fruit quality and storability. South African J. Botany 176:62–73.
• Habibi, F., M. Doron, T. Jacobson, C. Voiniciuc, J.K. Brecht, and A. Sarkhosh. 2025. Postharvest hypoxia and anoxia stresses delay anthocyanin accumulation in cold-stored blood orange fruit. Postharvest Biology and Technology 225:113508.
• Habibi, F., M.A. Shahid, T. Jacobson, C. Voiniciuc, J.K. Brecht, and A. Sarkhosh. 2025. Postharvest quality and biochemical changes in blood orange fruit exposed to various non-chilling storage temperatures. Horticulturae 11(5):493.
• Shahzad, F., M. Doron, S.A. Sargent, and J.K. Brecht. 2025. Development and feasibility of an approach utilizing modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and ethylene scrubbing to allow extended international transport and marketing of tree-ripe mangos. Postharvest Biology and Technology 225:113488.
• Shahzad, F., M. Doron, S.A. Sargent, and J.K. Brecht. 2025. Development of a natural, semi-permeable fruit coating to extend shelf life of tree-ripe mango. LWT 223:117801.
• Zapien Macias, J.M., T. Liu, and G.H. Nunez. 2025. Blueberry ripening mechanism: A systematic review of physiological and molecular evidence. Horticulture Research 12(8).

Georgia – University of Georgia

• Godara, A., Rubio Ames, Z., & Deltsidis, A. 2025. Delayed Harvest Reduces Postharvest Quality and Storability of Southern Highbush cv. Meadowlark and Rabbiteye Blueberry cv. Brightwell. HortScience.
• Giannopoulos, O., Corn, R., Chavez, D., Loayza, F., & Deltsidis, A. 2025. Evaluating the Effects of Ozone Nanobubble Treatments on Postharvest Quality of Fresh Peaches. HortTechnology, 35(1), 90–100.
• Giannopoulos, O., Chavez, D., Corn, R., & Deltsidis, A. 2025. Elevated Gaseous Ozone Concentrations: Adverse Effects on Postharvest Peach Quality. CyTA – Journal of Food.
• Dawson, J., Deltsidis, A., Corn, R., Smith, E., & McAvoy, C. 2025. Productivity and Postharvest Quality of Strawberry Cultivars Grown in Southeast Georgia. Circular 1327. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

Kansas – Kansas State University

• Subedi, S., Yang, T., Williams, K.A., Liu, R., Pliakoni, E.D., Rivard, C.L., and Xu, X. 2025. Impact of Nutrient Solution Volume during Recirculating Hydroponic Production on Growth, Nutrient Content and Postharvest Characteristics of Four Leafy Greens Species. HortScience (accepted).
• Khadka, D., Pliakoni, E.D., Abeli, P., Haley, O.C., Jenkins, T., Xu, X., Jaberi-Douraki, M., Britton, L.L., Bhullar, M.S. 2024. CO2 Laser-labeling on Fresh Produce: Evaluating Postharvest Quality, Microbial Safety, and Economic Analysis. Journal of Food Protection: 87(9) 100329.
• Khadka, D., Talavera, M.J., Pliakoni, E.D., Britton, L.L., Nwadike, L., Bhullar, M.S. 2024. Evaluating consumers' acceptability of laser-labeled apple fruit. Future Foods; 10, 100401.
• Ghimire, U., Abeli, P., Brecht, J.K., Pliakoni, E.D., and Liu, T. 2024. Unique molecular mechanisms revealed for the effects of temperature, CA, ethylene exposure and 1-MCP on postharvest senescence of Broccoli. Postharvest Biology and Technology 213; 112919.
• Ahlawat Y.K., Ghimire, U., Li, S., Timilsena, P., Pliakoni, E.D., Brecht, J.K., and Liu, T. 2024. Postharvest Senescence Profiling in Broccoli Using Tandem Mass Tag-based Proteomics. Vegetable Research 4:e010: 1–12.
• Haley, O.C., Xu, X., Jaberi-Douraki, M., Rivard, C., Pliakoni, E.D., Nwadike, L., Bhullar, M.S. 2024. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Ultraviolet-C Light Technologies for Agricultural Surface Water Decontamination by Produce Growers in Kansas and Missouri. Food Protection Trends 44(1) 8–18.

Maine – University of Maine

• No publications reported for this cycle.

Maryland – University of Maryland

• Johnson, E., Farcuh, M. 2025. Assessing the impacts of aminoethoxyvinylglycine and 1-methylcyclopropene on fruit drop, cracking, quality and related transcript accumulation in 'Ambrosia' and 'Fuji' apples during on-the-tree ripening. Frontiers in Plant Science 16: 1629445.
• Farcuh, M. 2025. Understanding chilling injury and sugar metabolism-related genes and metabolites in ‘Red Haven’ peaches. Plants 14(14): 2133.
• Kohler, A., Hollender, C., Raines, D., Demuth, M., Tang, L., Farcuh, M., Dardick, C. 2025. Working smarter not harder: silencing LAZY1 in Prunus domestica causes outward, wandering branch orientations with commercial and ornamental applications. Horticulture Research, uhaf106.
• Nunez, D., Farcuh, M., Burghardt, K., McCluen S., Hooks, C. 2025. Evaluating the impacts of grass and legume living mulch systems on arthropod pests and beneficials, yield and fruit quality in cantaloupe. Journal of Economic Entomology, toaf033.
• Tang, L., Farcuh, M., Dardick, C. 2025. Pillar tree architecture increases canopy light interception and impacts fruit quality in European plum. Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 1–10.
• Miah, S., Farcuh, M. 2024. Reflective groundcovers promote anthocyanin content and advance fruit maturity of ‘Evercrisp’ apples grown in the Mid-Atlantic US. Frontiers in Plant Science 15: 1478498.
• Johnson, E., Farcuh, M. 2024. Aminoethoxyvinylglicine and 1-methylcyclopropene: effects on preharvest drop, fruit maturity, quality, and associated gene expression of ‘Honeycrisp’ apples in the US Mid-Atlantic. Plants 13(17): 2524.
• Miah, S., Farcuh, M. 2024. Expression of key ethylene and anthocyanin biosynthetic genes of ‘Honeycrisp’ apples subjected to reflective groundcovers and aminoethoxyvinylglycine. Plants 13(8): 1141.

Michigan – Michigan State University

• Park, D., Y. Al Shoffe, B.E. Algul, P. Engelgau, R.M. Beaudry, and C.B. Watkins. 2024. Preharvest application of 1-methylcyclopropene and 1-aminoethoxyvinylglycine affects watercore severity and volatile profiles of ‘Fuji’ apples stored in air and controlled atmospheres. Postharvest Biol. Technol., Volume 211, May 2024, 112840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2024.112840

• Yang, W.Q., F. Takeda, M. Zhang, C. Li, S.A. Sargent, L.W. DeVetter, R. Beaudry, D. Obenland, S. Saito, and C-L. Xiao. 2024. Internal bruise damage in machine-harvested blueberries. Acta Hort. 1381: 393–400.

• Goel, M., J.A. Campoy, K. Krause, L.C. Baus, A. Sahu, H. Sun, B. Walkemeier, M. Marek, R. Beaudry, D. Ruiz, B. Huettel and K. Schneeberger. 2024. The vast majority of somatic mutations in fruit trees are layer-specific. Genome Biol. 2024 Jul 24;25(1):194. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-024-03337-0

• Sun, H., P. Abeli, J.A. Campoy, T. Rütjes, K. Krause, W-B. Jiao, M. von Korff, R. Beaudry, K. Schneeberger. 2024. The identification and analysis of meristematic mutations within the apple tree that developed the ‘RubyMac’ sport mutation. BMC Biology. 24(1):912. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-05628-x

• Gendjar, M., D.P. Chalise, R. Beaudry, and E. Merewitz. 2024. Controlled Condition Ice Encasement of Creeping bentgrass and Annual bluegrass Influences Plant Recovery, Gases Evolution, and Metabolites. J. Amer Soc. Hort. Sci. 149(4): 230–242. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS05394-24

• Hendershot, C., S. Ruth, C. Bloomingdale, H. Corder, T. Goodwill, R. Beaudry, L.E. Hanson, and J.F. Willbur. 2024. Cercospora leaf spot impacts on postharvest disease and respiration of affected sugarbeet roots. Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-24-1478-RE

• Sow, A., B. Lemmond, B. Rennick, J.V. Wyk, L. Martin, M. Townsend, A. Grupe, R. Beaudry, R. Healy, M.E. Smith, G. Bonito. 2024. Tuber canirevelatum and T. cumberlandense, two new edible Tuber species from eastern North America discovered by truffle-hunting dogs. Mycologia, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/00275514.2024.2407755

• Khule, P., G. Lu, Q. Yang, R. Beaudry, and E. Almenar. 2025. Enhanced barrier properties of bagasse paperboard for food packaging applications using shellac coating – Effect of concentration and number of layers. Prog. Org. Coatings. Vol. 207, 2025, 109395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2025.109395

• Engelgau, P., S.K. Wendakoon, N. Sugimoto, and R.M. Beaudry. 2025. Fruits produce branched-chain esters primarily from newly synthesized precursors. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2025, 73, 4196–4207. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c10677

• Gorakhnath, N.S., S. Chopra, D. Dhingra, P.K. Sahoo, R.A. Parray, M. Srivastava, M. Ray, S. Nagar, and R. Beaudry. 2025. Physicochemical changes during the progressive ripening of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Pusa Manohari under storage conditions. Ag. Assoc. Textile Chem. Crit. Rev J. 13: 506–511.

• Gorakhnath, N.S., S. Chopra, D. Dhingra, P.K. Sahoo, R.A. Parray, M. Srivastava, M. Ray, S. Nagar, and R. Beaudry. 2025. Physiological changes in ‘Pusa Manohari’ and ‘Amrapali’ mangoes: on-tree vs off-tree. Indian J. Hort. 82:171–178.

North Carolina – North Carolina State University

• Seth, R., Fiecke, C., Ma, G., Perkins-Veazie, P., Cavagnaro, P., Ferruzzi, M.G., Iorizzo, M. 2025. Characterization of anthocyanins, phenolics, and flavonoids in a global carrot collection through application of chemometrics and FT-NIR spectroscopy. Food Chemistry: X 102807.

• Tan, C., Li, C., Perkins-Veazie, P., Oh, H., Xu, R., and Iorizzo, M. 2025. High throughput assessment of blueberry fruit internal bruising using deep learning models. Frontiers in Plant Science, 16, p.1575038.

• Oh, H., Mengist, M.F., Ma, G., Giongo, L., Pottorff, M., Spencer, J.A., Perkins-Veazie, P*, and Iorizzo, M.* 2025. Unraveling the genetic architecture of blueberry fruit quality traits: major loci control organic acid content while more complex genetic mechanisms control texture and sugar content. BMC Plant Biology 25(1), p.36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06061-4

• de Medeiros, F.G.M., Xiong, J., Grace, M., Strauch, R., Perkins-Veazie, P., Moncada, M., Lila, M.A., and Hoskin, R. 2025. Fermentation of American elderberry juice yields functional phytochemicals for spray dried protein–polyphenol ingredients. Food Research International, 201, p.115536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2024.115536

• Haynes, B., Fernandez, G., Ma, G., Chen, H., and Perkins-Veazie, P*. 2025. Strawberry Germplasm Influences Fruit Physicochemical Composition More than Harvest Date or Location. Horticulturae 1(1), 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11010055

• Canales, E., Gallardo, R.K., Iorizzo, M., Munoz, P., Ferrão, L.F., Luby, C., Bassil, N., Pottorff, M., Perkins-Veazie, P., Sandefur, P., and Colonna, A. 2024. Willingness to pay for blueberries: Sensory attributes, fruit quality traits, and consumers’ characteristics. HortScience, 59(8), pp.1207–1218. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17947-24

• Ferrão, L.F.V., Azevedo, C., Benevenuto, J., Mengist, M.F., Luby, C., Pottorff, M., Casorzo, G.I., Makey, T., Lila, M.A., Giongo, L., Bassil, N., Perkins-Veazie, P., Iorizzo, M., Munoz, P. 2024. Inference of the genetic basis of fruit texture in highbush blueberries using genome-wide association analyses. Horticulture Research, p.uhae233.

• Oh, H., Stapleton, L., Giongo, L., Johanningsmeier, S., Mollinari, M., Mainland, C.M., Perkins-Veazie, P*, and Iorizzo, M.* 2024. Prediction of blueberry sensory texture attributes by integrating multiple instrumental measurements. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 218, p.113160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2024.113160

• Teets, C., Ghanem, N., Ma, G., Minj, J., Perkins-Veazie, P., Johnson, S.A., Etter, A.J., Carbonero, F.G., and Solverson, P.M. 2024. A One-Week Elderberry Juice Intervention Augments the Fecal Microbiota and Suggests Improvement in Glucose Tolerance and Fat Oxidation in a Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 16(20), p.3555. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16203555

Nova Scotia – Kentville Research and Development Centre

• Fan, L., Doucette, C., McSweeney, M.B., English, M., Song, J., Vinqvist-Tymchuk, M., Kernaghan, G. 2024. Non-traditional Vineyard Yeasts for Novel Wines. Plants, People, Planet. 1–14.
• Song, J., Amyotte, B., Campbell Palmer, L., Vinqvist-Tymchuk, M., De Ros, L. Untargeted metabolomic genome-wide association study reveals genetic and biochemical insights into polyphenols of apple fruit. Horticulture Research. Hort Res-2004-1782.

Virginia – Virginia State University

• Taghavi, T., Patel, H., Rahemi A. 2024. Extracting anthocyanin testing different variables. Acta Horticulturae 1404: 453–460.
• Taghavi, T. 2024. Berry Crops Production: Cultivation, Breeding and Health Benefits. Horticulturae 10(8), 875.
• Mokhasel I., Rahemi A., Verma S., King J., Mengist M., Taghavi T. Storage duration had more profound effect on strawberry metabolites than essential oil application. Under review.