One of the main post-harvest problems is the emergence of spoilage in oranges caused especially by fungi that depreciate the quality and decrease shelf life and may also compromise food safety. Various treatment technologies such as: modified atmosphere, irradiation, anti-microbial ice and high pressure, among others, have been studied in the quest to eliminate food pathogens. Thus, understanding mechanisms of microorganism control in foods have been the topic of intense research with the use of

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

Vegetables are essential foods in a healthy diet because of their supply of vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Additionally, they are sources of bioactive compounds that are related to the prevention of some illnesses. However, the low quality of the vegetables offered in most Brazilian markets reduces their attractiveness and supply, causing losses and waste, with high financial, social and environmental costs for society. The project aims to work on this issue with a focus on communication and te

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2015

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2012

The production of strawberries in Brazil is of great importance and has been experiencing increasing expansion every year. This culture still is of great social importance once great part of productive areas are based in family farming, thus being directly linked to family income, job offer and establishment of manpower in rural economical activities. Despite its importance, many are the technological gaps and few are the research institutions currently involved in strawberry studies. Great part

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010

The tomato is one of the most cultivated vegetables in the world, and is the target of countless plant health problems. Embrapa Vegetables has historically produced research in plant health within this production chain under the scope of the Tomato Genetic Improvement Project. However, the increasing demand for studies aimed at perfecting pest diagnosis methods and generating essential information for management has signaled the need to create a specific plant health project. Thus, this project

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2012

In last the two decades, the melon agribusiness in Brazil has expanded nine times, reaching a production that is estimated at 500,000 tons per year and is concentrated in the Northeast. Since 2007, melons have become the main national fruit in volume of exports, and in 2008 Brazil was the second top world exporter. Nearly all melon cultivars planted in the Northeast are imported, and hence there is demand for more adapted ones, as the cultivars available were generally developed in soil and clim

Status: Completed     Start date: Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2012

Smallholder Capsicum pepper growers in Uganda are operating below the ideal levels of agricultural production due to a lack of improved varieties, low quality seed systems and the devastation caused by pests and diseases. The damages caused by diseases are aggravated by the cultivation of susceptible germplasm and the use of poor quality seeds. In order to increase production and competitiveness in the market, farmers need to have access to clean seeds of cultivars that are tolerant to diseas

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2015

The quick diagnosis of diseases in plants that have economic value is essential to guarantee food security and avoid larger losses as a consequence of disease spreading. Two major problems may hinder this goal: 1) the permanent monitoring of all the plants by people capable of detecting diseases is mostly unviable; 2) in many cases, the person who detects the symptoms doesn't have enough knowledge to identify their causes. Despite the existance of solutions that explore technology as a facilitat

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2013

In the past years, Brazil has stood out for its leadership and high competitiveness in food production, a position reached especially due to the substantial efforts put into research, development and innovation, associated with free entrepreneurship, natural favorable conditions, abundant and efficient food production, and governmental efforts, notably those of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Mapa). However, if on one hand the quantitative issues regarding Brazil's food p

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that mainly affects people over 65 years of age, resulting in loss of memory and cognitive functions such as language, attention, orientation and reasoning. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 24.3 million people worldwide suffered from AD and other types of dementia in 2007, with a doubling of this number every 20 years. That Organization also stresses that the impact of AD in develo

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008