Fruits and Vegetables for all seasons(FruVase)

    Overview
    Overview

    Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals in human nutrition and waste of fruits and vegetable along the value chain are major constrains in Sub-Saharan Africa. Seasonality and long distances between production areas and potential consumption centres further contribute to the problem. Therefore, the major aim of the three-year FruVaSe project is to improve nutrition and economically empower women in East Africa through improved, sustainable processing of highly nutritious surplus fruits and vegetables (FVs) and their by-products in a life-cycle approach.

    Sponser

    Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

    Abstract

    The specific objectives of the project are:

    • Retain nutritional value, shelf-life and food safety of healthy, nutritious, affordable products.
    • Reduce seasonality of food insecurity and food and nutrient losses.
    • Investigate the impact of processing techniques on selected fruits and leafy vegetables in form of e.g. juices, long-keeping relishes, concentrated pastes, additives to drinks, and smoothies with respect to storability, vitamins and micronutrients content and consumers’ acceptability.
    • Develop processing technologies in a resource-efficient autonomous systems approach considering the life cycle concept for organic material and water (water re-use).
    • Establish a model pilot site, adapted to the local conditions and integrating the optimized technologies.