Production of Vegetables for Processing

The purpose of the Working Group Production of Vegetables for Processing is to highlight research applied to vegetable processing in the food chain and projects that connect horticultural science with the food processing technology. Emphasis is on new findings and applications for maintaining high international standards of food security, safety, quality, nutrition, flavour, and texture for the processed vegetable products.

Key themes treated by the Working Group:

• bridging gaps: connecting raw product quality enhancement with processing needs (quality, stability, yield, logistic),
• quality improvement: focusing on retaining quality markers (color, texture, nutrients, and flavour) during postharvest handling and processing,
• eco-physiological research to improve tomato fruit quality for processing, agronomy,
• crop biotic and abiotic stress resistance,
• genetic improvement of plants used in industrial food systems,
• problem solving: addressing challenges like spoilage, varietal suitability for processing, and efficient techniques (blanching, canning, freezing),
• innovation & science: encouraging research and discussion to advance the science of vegetable utilization,
• industry relevance: aiming for practical outcomes that benefit growers, processors, and consumers,
• human health impacts of consuming

The Working Group Production of Vegetables for Processing regularly organizes symposia on the most important processed crop, processing tomato, which usually takes place in different countries every two years.

Generally, the International Symposia on Processing Tomato are held in parallel with the World Processing Tomato Congresses, bringing together academics, researchers and students with growers, processors and business professionals working in the processing tomato industry. This unique setup within the ISHS symposia has been a major success story ever since the first World Processing Tomato Congress in 1989 in France and the creation of the World Processing Tomato Council (WPTC) in 1998 in Spain.