Innovate Approaches to Danish Cabbage: Project CabExtend Promotos Local Production, Extends the Season, and Fights Food Waste
Denmark’s love for broccoli, cauliflower, and pointed cabbage is growing – and so is the demand. These healthy, nutritious vegetables are in high demand among consumers, but how can we meet this demand while supporting local production, and reducing food waste in the supply chain? This is a challenge as the growing season in Denmark is highly imposed by the long, cold, and dark winter.
Introducing CabExtend – an ambitious new research project spearheaded by researchers at the Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, together with growers, a seed company, and a retail company. This collaborative initiative seeks to innovate the Danish cabbage supply by maintaining product freshness and eating quality throughout the supply chain while extending the sales window for locally grown produce.
“Today, we eat broccoli, cauliflower and pointed cabbage year-round. By making some changes in the supply chain, we could extend and increase the supply of Danish cabbages,” says Associate Professor Merete Edelenbos from the Department of Food Science at Aarhus University.
Turning Challenges into Opportunities
During summer, broccoli has a shelf life of only a few days if the heads are not harvested and cooled quickly. “We all know that broccoli yellows fast and might end in the waste bin”, Merete Edelenbos says. Similarly, cauliflower might dry out and rot. With CabExtend, Merete Edelenbos and Alexandru Luca, scientists at the Department of Food Science, aim to tackle these challenges by researching suitable cabbage cultivars and applying technologies that extend the shelf life, such as low-temperature storage, humidity and ethylene management, and controlled atmosphere (CA) storage.
“We are very excited about our brand-new CA facilities at the department, as we believe that CA storage will be an important part of the solution in CabExtend,” Alexandru Luca says.
“Our goal is to extend the sales window for broccoli, cauliflower, and pointed cabbage by 3 to 8 weeks, reducing food waste and increasing profitability across the supply chain,” Alexandru Luca explains. “This will boost sales of Danish produce, and cut the greenhouse gas emissions,” Merete Edelenbos adds.
Innovating for the Green Transition
From rapid cooling to sensor technology that ensures optimal storage conditions, CabExtend combines cutting-edge solutions to address the challenges of modern food systems. The project supports Denmark’s transititon to a more sustainable food supply by bridging the gap between production and market demand.
Collaboration is Key
The project unites academic expertise from Aarhus University with the know-how of leading partners like Dangrow Agro A/S, Torup Bakkegård & Orelund I/S, Bejo Nordic A/S, and Nemlig.com. Funded with 5.3 million DKK from GUDP, CabExtend represents an innovation project that rethinks collaboration in the value chain for fresh fruit and vegetables in Denmark.
A Vision for the Future
Running from August 2024 to December 2027, CabExtend holds the potential to transform how we handle and store some of Denmark’s most beloved vegetables. By reducing food waste, and extending the sales window for cabbages, this project underpins local production, combats climate change, and increases food security.
Learn more about how CabExtend is making a difference in the fight for a more sustainable future for Danish farmers and consumers here:
https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/projects/extending-the-harvesting-and-sales-window-of-danishcabbages
Supplementary information | |
We strive to ensure that all our articles comply with the principles of good research communication outlined by Danish Universities. On this basis, the article has been supplemented with the following information: | |
Project name | CabExtend |
Project timeline | 2024-2027 |
Funding | Grønt Udviklings- og Demonstrationsprogram (GUDP) under Ministeriet for Fødevarer, Landbrug og Fiskeri. |
Collaborational partners | Dangrow Agro A/S, Torup Bakkegård & Orelund I/S, Bejo Nordic I/S, Nemlig.com. |
External commenting | None |
Potential conflicts of interest | None |
Contact | Professor Merete Edelenbos, Department of Food Science at Aarhus University. E-mail: merete.edelenbos@food.au.dk. Tel: +45 29 45 01 33 |