The NRF/DST SARChI Chair in Postharvest Technology Research group functions within the Faculty of AgriSciences. It conducts three separate, but interactive sets of activities:
The research focus falls within the domains of Postharvest Technology, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, with consistent generation of peer-reviewed publications and intellectual property. We offer a unique multidisciplinary research and development opportunity for postdoctoral fellowships, with postgraduate training at Msc and PhD level at the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of AgriSciences. Upon registration, the postgraduate students agree to comply with the relevant departmental procedures and processes. As part of our community outreach, we run executive short courses, seminars, internships and conferences on a periodic basis. Bringing forth
Our main research aim is to contribute towards addressing the Postharvest Loss problem which adds to Food Insecurity in South Africa. We have narrowed the focus to the following research areas: Development of cold-chain technologies, Non-destructive quality measurement and control, as well as Mapping and reducing postharvest losses along the food chain.
Another part of our research also deals with value-addition of pomegranates, a novel product in the South African market that have grown tremendously popular over the last seven years.
More about the research topics:
Cold Chain Technologies
Quality Control
Value Addition
Postharvest Loss: A Threat to Food Security