“The cucumber usually keeps for two weeks in the refrigerator, we kept nine weeks after treatment” (Yael Boterno)
According to data from the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, more than half of fruits and vegetables do not reach the plates of the country’s inhabitants. These ever increasing losses are due to climate change which is shortening their shelf life. A new technology developed in Israel aims to solve this problem by using artificial intelligence (AI).
“The basic data about the vegetable is entered into a computer and the artificial intelligence suggests how best to preserve it. For example, the AI advised us to immerse the vegetable in hot water with exposure to UV rays, then to pack it in a specific bag”, explains Dr. Danny Gemarsani of the Postrobest laboratory, of the Miguel Research Institute.
Cucumber was the first vegetable chosen for the experiment. “The cucumber usually keeps for about two weeks in a domestic refrigerator. After processing, we obtained cucumbers which could be kept intact for nine weeks”, demonstrates Yael Boterno of the Miguel Research Institute.
This research was started several months ago in a food research laboratory. Artificial intelligence makes it possible to study the data provided in record time and reduce the time to find a solution by several years. After the convincing success obtained with cucumbers, researchers are about to try to extend the life of more fragile plants such as mushrooms and red fruits.
