Research Unit in Postharvest Technology - UNIFG

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Research Unit in Postharvest Technology - UNIFG

Research Unit on Postharvest Technology at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Naturale resources, and Engineering (DAFNE) of the University of Foggia, Italy

The research unit focuses on relationships between physiological and qualitative attributes and equipments/technologies for postharvest handling and storage of intact and fresh-cut produce.

01/09/2026

POSTHARVEST UNIFG ARTICLE ALERT: THE EFFECTS OF NITROGEN ON POSTHARVEST FATE OF ROCKET LEAVES

Free download here: https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jsfa.70960
Saleem A., Amodio M.L., Mahajan P.V., Gonnella M., Bonelli L., Colelli G. 2026. Degradation kinetics of postharvest quality attributes of rocket leaves grown under different nitrogen rates. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 2026. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.70960

The product of a cooperation of 3 research units in Italy and Germany, and part of the ongoing thesis of Aysha Saleem (tutored by Prof. Maria Luisa Amodio) this article shows that low-to-moderate N levels had significantly higher vitamin C content and sensory quality. In contrast, greater nitrogen levels (> 0.013 mol L−1) promoted postharvest nutrient loss at faster rates, while surpassing the European safety levels for nitrates.
Well fitting models for prediction of the shelf-life indicated a trade-off between quality preservation and nitrate safety.

28/08/2026

PROF. COLELLI TO SERVE A SECOND TERM AS CHAIR OF ISHS-DPHQ

Prof. Giancarlo Colelli was elected to serve a second term (2026-2030) as Chair of the International Society for Horticultural Science - ISHS Division on Postharvest and Quality Assurance (DPHQ) and as member of the Executive Committee of the Society, one of the world largest among the scientific societies.
The re-newed ExCom met yesterday in Kyoto, Japan, within the 32nd International Horticultural Congress.
Also for this term, Dr. Sukhvinder Pal Singh will serve as vice-Chair of the DPHQ.

27/08/2026

POSTHARVEST UNIFG ARTICLE ALERT: RESEARCH ON THE EFFECT OF MICOROPERFORATED PACKAGING ON THE VOLATILES OF FRESH-CUT ARTICHOKES JUST PUBLISHED

Download it for free here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2026.102520

Ashraf J.Z., Pati S., Fatchurrahman D., Rosiello G., Amodio M.L., and Colelli G. 2026. Applied Food Research 102520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2026.102520

Part of the PhD thesis of Dr. Ashraf, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of different microperforated packaging materials (PP, PP/PA, PLA) on the quality preservation and VOC profile of fresh-cut artichokes. Results lead to the conclusions that packaging design for fresh-cut artichokes should consider not only gas exchange properties but also the ability of different materials to influence terpene retention and the formation of oxidation- and sulphur-related volatiles during storage, potentially responsible for the presence of off-odors.

11/08/2026

POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGY OF TABLE GRAPES: PART II

Second part of Prof. Giancarlo Colelli tour took place last week, meeting producers and marketers of table grapes in several locations in Puglia and Basilicata, Italy.
The meetings covered a number of issues related to postharvest performance and main technological issues involved with quality of the product after harvest, taking advantage of the on-going harvest season.
Also in this case meetings were organized by Sun World International and coordinated by local Quality Assurance Manager Bartolomeo D’Aprile and took place in Noicattaro, Scanzano Ionico, Castellaneta, and Rutigliano.

10/08/2026

POSTHARVEST UNIFG ARTICLE ALERT: RESEARCH ON EARLY DETECTION OF CHILLING INJURY DURING STORAGE OF ZUCCHINI SQUASH PUBLISHED

Download it for free here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2026.112489

Russo L., Fatchurrahman D., Rosiello G., Fathi-Najafabadi A., Amodio M.L., Colelli G. 2027. Hyperspectral imaging reveals physiological changes associated with chilling injury in zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) during postharvest storage. Food Control 192, 112489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2026.112489

As part of Lucia Russo’s PhD thesis, under the supervision of Prof. Maria Luisa Amodio, this study evaluates hyperspectral imaging (HSI) as a rapid, nondestructive tool to classify fruit based on their storage temperature history. Chilled fruit exhibited significant structural and compositional alterations, specifically a marked reduction in firmness and a progressive increase in relative electrolyte leakage, indicating compromised cellular integrity. The fruit also showed increased total phenol content and antioxidant activity as a defense response. Among the evaluated algorithms, the PLS-DA model yielded the most stable performance. VIS-NIR region (400–1000 nm) proved superior capability for early diagnosis, achieving a prediction accuracy of 98% after 3 days of age, when visible CI incidence was only 20%, reaching 100% prediction accuracy after 10 days of storage, effectively capturing the cumulative physiological degradation.
Future work should focus on validating these findings across different cultivars and real postharvest scenarios, as well as on developing cost-effective multispectral sensors suitable for high- throughput industrial integration to monitor postharvest quality and help reduce food waste. Anyone interested in collaborating to pursue these objectives please get in touch with us.
We are ready for it!!!

15/07/2026

SYNERGISTIC COOPERATION WITH CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY CONTINUES

Complementary collaboration with other Institutions has always been a main drive for Postharvest UniFG scientists. In this case our interaction with colleagues of Chainga-May University (Proff. Sarana Sommano and Tibet Tangapao's group) produced another published article. This study evaluated the effects of biochar derived from an invasive aquatic w**d on growth traits, biochemical responses, glycoside accumulation, and the gene expression in Stevia grown under different water-holding capacities.

Sunanta P., Norkum ai P., Teerakitchotikan P., Tangpao T., Linh N.V., Khang L.T.P., Colelli G. and Sommano S.R. 2026. Invasive Asian water moss (Salvinia cucullata) biochar modulates selected steviol glycoside biosynthesisrelated gene expression and drought-associated physiological responses in Stevia. Front. Plant Sci. 17:1859834. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1859834

07/07/2026

GIUSEPPE LANDED IN GUANGZHOU, CHINA
Giuseppe Rosiello, a PhD student tutored by Prof. Giancarlo Colelli, initiated an important 5-month research period abroad in the Academy of Contemporary Food Engineering (ACFE), South China University of Technology (Guangzhou, PRC).
Last week Giuseppe held an introductory meeting with Prof. Jun-Hu Cheng and his group giving a talk on "Past Results and Future Perspectives on the Application of in-package cold plasma to preserve minimally processed fruits and vegetables" in order to share the achievements already reached by his recent work in Foggia and to plan more in detail the experimental activities for the next 5 months.
Our sincere thanks go to Prof. Jun-Hu Cheng, ACFE, and SCUT for the warm welcome and to Prof. Da-Wen Sun for triggering the initiative.

05/07/2026

POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGY OF TABLE GRAPES DISCUSSED IN MEETINGS WITH PRODUCERS

Prof. Giancarlo Colelli met producers and marketers of table grapes in several locations in Puglia, Italy, covering a number of issues related to postharvest performance and main technological issues involved with quality of the product after harvest. The meetings were organized by Sun World International and coordinated by local Quality Assurance Manager Bartolomeo D’Aprile and took place in Trani, Barletta, Noicattaro, Turi, Locorotondo, and Castellaneta.

04/07/2026

Farewell Mahshad!!!

29/06/2026

NEW ARTICLE PUBLISHED WITH OUR RESULTS

First results on the use of indirect in-package surface cold plasma to enhance microbial control and extend shelf-life of table grapes was just published by a prestigious scientific Journal and can be dowloaded here: https://doi.org/10.3389/frfst.2026.1826481

Rosiello G., Simonelli R., Fatchurrahman D., Amodio M.L., Sommano S.R., and Colelli G. (2026) Application of indirect in-package surface dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma for post-harvest storage of table grapes. Front. Food Sci. Technol. 6:1826481. doi: 10.3389/frfst.2026.1826481

The work was part of the PhD thesis that Giuseppe Rosiello is carrying out in our lab, also in collaboration with SAIM Postharvest Technologies, and which will also include applications on other commodities.

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