Potato Review

14 POTATO REVIEW MAY/JUNE 2021 STORAGE A DATA logger disguised as a potato is helping overcome waste issues for a Turkey- based company using a 1,000-year-old cave to store potatoes. The mass importer and producer of seed potatoes, AR Tarim, imports up to 8,000 tons of seed potatoes and produces around 11,000 tons locally which are kept in the storage facility located in Kayseri. Minimal waste is central to its aim to become more efficient. AR Tarim’s 1000-year-old cave storage facility is a natural way of storing potatoes. With little energy demands, the cave’s unique design naturally provides ideal storage conditions throughout the year. Ambient temperatures of 4°C in winter and 14°C in summer are easily achieved, even when outside temperatures can reach up to 35°C. Stronger armoury for cave-dwelling tubers Waste issues addressed at 1,000-year-old potato store. However, Managing Director Ekrem Suad Sadak said the company had encountered quality issues, with bruising being a big concern and the company. Like many growers and producers in the UK, waste is a key concern for the Turkey company. Estimates by the UK’s Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) indicate that potatoes are one of three root vegetables that make up more than 50% of the overall food waste in primary production. This leads to staggering financial losses and long-term effects on growers and producers. Optimisation of food production has become of significant importance in recent years. Primarily driven by climate change, legislation and financial implications, growers and producers can no longer afford to be wasteful, according to the organisation. UK crop quality and storage specialist Martin Lishman Ltd is amongst many within the supply chain looking at ways of minimising waste, and most recently worked with AR Tarim to look for a solution. The TuberLog Electronic Potato, a data logger disguised as a potato, identifies the location and severity of damage-causing impacts in harvesting and handling machinery, enabling the user to carry out adjustments, and the HotBox, a sealed cabinet that exposes tubers ready for storage to both humidity and heat to test for disease, infections and bruising. “The TuberLog has helped us to reduce mechanical damage, meaning the grading machine no longer causes any tuber bruising. The harvester seems to work better too, since the crop which arrives from the field shows less problems. The Hot Box is now so well established in our process that it is unthinkable not to have it. It is essential for us in the early detection of seed tuber issues like Alternaria, Dry Rot etc,” said Ekrem. AR Tarim’s unique cave store blends in