The FUSION project highlights the contribution of its partner KeepCool, a Spanish company specializing in solutions to improve the preservation of fruits and vegetables. In 2024, KeepCool was recognized as the startup with the greatest international projection by the Food4Future platform, reflecting the growing relevance of its technology in the agri-food sector.

Technical Innovation for Post-Harvest Preservation

Within the framework of the FUSION project, KeepCool contributes with technologies focused on air quality control and ethylene management—two critical factors in the preservation of fresh produce.

Its solutions include ethylene-absorbing filters and air purification and disinfection systems designed for use in storage chambers, transport vehicles, and other stages of the agri-food value chain. These technologies help slow down the natural ripening process of fruits and vegetables, while also reducing the presence of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

KeepCool’s patented technology offers a high absorption capacity, reaching up to 7.84 liters per kilogram, which represents a significant improvement compared to conventional solutions.

Advancing Circular Economy Practices

A key aspect of KeepCool’s approach is the integration of circular economy principles into its products. The company has developed filters made with materials such as pharmaceutical-grade Tyvek, which allows air to pass through while preventing liquids from crossing.

After their use in storage and transport, these filters can be returned to the soil by producers. Initial tests conducted at the experimental farm Las Palmerillas (Almería) have shown promising results, including improvements in soil conditions such as water retention.

This approach contributes to reducing waste while creating additional value beyond the primary use of the product.

Contribution to Reducing Food Loss

KeepCool’s technologies are designed to improve preservation conditions throughout the supply chain, helping to reduce post-harvest losses of perishable products such as fruits and vegetables. In this way, they support broader efforts to improve efficiency and sustainability in agri-food systems.

Towards More Sustainable Food Systems

Through its participation in FUSION, KeepCool contributes practical and scalable solutions that address key challenges in food preservation. By combining technological innovation with circular economy practices, the company supports the development of more sustainable and resilient food systems across the Mediterranean region.

The Egyptian Fusion Project reached a significant milestone this week as team members gathered at the Plant Protection Research Institute for a high-level coordination meeting. Chaired by Prof. Dr. Tarek Afifi El-Sheikh, the session focused on synchronizing efforts between Egypt’s leading scientific institutions to drive the project’s upcoming phases.

A Unified Scientific Front
The meeting brought together a diverse group of experts dedicated to the project’s success, representing the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) and the Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA).
Participants included Prof. Dr. Adel Hatem (Principal Investigator, ARC), Dr. Gamal Hassan (ARC), Dr. Magda Hashem (ARC), Dr. Reda Hassan (EAEA), Dr. Heba El-Sharkawy (EAEA), Dr. Waheed Ahmed (Participating via online link).
While the team moved forward with productive dialogue, the PDS representative was unable to attend and sent their apologies due to health reasons.

Planning for Impact: Field Days and Training
A primary focus of the discussion was the rollout of upcoming field days and specialized training courses. The team meticulously reviewed the logistical and educational frameworks required to ensure these sessions provide maximum value to stakeholders.

Items finalized during the session included:

• Communication Materials: Design and production of informative brochures and event banners.
• Logistics: Finalizing schedules and venue coordination.
• Scientific Rigor: Defining the core scientific content and coordinating with expert lecturers to deliver high-quality instruction.

Looking Toward the Third General Assembly
In addition to domestic planning, the committee addressed international logistics for the Third General Assembly in Greece. The team discussed necessary visa arrangements and administrative preparations to ensure a seamless Egyptian presence at this prestigious international forum.

The Path Forward
The meeting concluded on a high note, with a clear roadmap of agreed-upon next steps. This gathering reinforces the spirit of continued collaboration between the ARC and EAEA, ensuring the Egyptian Fusion Project remains on track to meet its ambitious scientific and developmental goals.

In many key sectors—such as agri-food, logistics, or product preservation—there is a silent enemy that is rarely seen but can change everything: the lack of real-time information. This is especially critical in remote environments, rural areas, or locations without telecommunications infrastructure.

What happens when we don’t know what’s happening inside a container, warehouse, or storage chamber? The answer is simple: risk, uncertainty, and loss.

The Problem: Making Decisions Blindly

Gases such as ethylene (C₂H₄), oxygen (O₂), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) play an important role in the ripening, preservation, and quality of many products, especially fruits, vegetables, and other perishable goods.

Uncontrolled ethylene can accelerate ripening, while incorrect oxygen or carbon dioxide levels can lead to spoilage and quality loss.

However, in many situations:

• There is no internet connection.
• Mobile coverage is unreliable.
• Physical access to control points is difficult or costly.

This often forces people to rely on occasional measurements, manual inspections, or—worse—assumptions. And when dealing with sensitive products, assumptions are not enough.

The Solution: Data Where There Was None

As part of the FUSION project, our task was to meet this challenge. We are developing devices capable of continuously monitoring ethylene, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, even in the most isolated locations, thanks to satellite connectivity.

This means the data does not depend on local networks, routers, SIM cards, or existing infrastructure. The devices can be deployed almost anywhere and continue sending reliable information in real time.

Why Is This So Important?

Having real-time data allows you to:

• Detect problems before they become irreversible
• Optimize preservation and transportation processes
• Reduce food waste and financial losses
• Make decisions based on facts, not guesses
• Extend monitoring to areas that were previously unreachable

In short, it’s about democratizing access to information, even in extreme or disconnected contexts.

A Step Towards Smarter, More Sustainable Management

The ability to monitor critical gases without relying on infrastructure opens the door to more efficient, sustainable, and resilient management models. Less waste, greater control, and more peace of mind for those handling sensitive products.

Because it’s not just about measuring gases.
It’s about having visibility, even when everything else is out of reach.

A large share of the food produced never gets eaten. This phenomenon, known as Food Loss and Waste (FLW), represents one of the most pressing sustainability challenges of our time. Every tomato that spoils in the field, every pepper discarded at the supermarket, and every plate of salad left uneaten at home embodies an environmental impact that often remains hidden.

In recent years, environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged as a powerful tool. By quantifying the environmental footprint of food along its entire cycle — from field to fork — LCA helps us understand where losses occur, what resources are wasted, and how we can act more effectively to reduce their impacts. In the context of fruits and vegetables, especially in the Mediterranean region encompassing Europe and MENA countries (Middle East and North Africa), this approach is particularly relevant. These products are perishable, resource-intensive, and central to regional diets and economies.

Understanding Food Loss and Waste: More Than Just Leftovers

FLW are often used as a single expression, but they represent different stages of the problem. Food loss occurs along the early stages of the supply chain — during production, postharvest handling, storage, and processing — while food waste typically happens at the retail and consumption stages. Both forms lead to similar consequences: resources are used without yielding the intended benefit of feeding people.

Globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that around one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted each year. In the case of fruits and vegetables, the rates are even higher due to their perishability. Heat, inadequate storage, inefficient logistics, and market standards for appearance all contribute to this inefficiency. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), around 931 million tonnes of food were wasted globally in 2019, accounting for approximately 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, once the resources used for food production are taken into account.

But what truly makes FLW critical from an environmental standpoint is that wasted food carries the entire burden of its production — the water used to irrigate it, the fertilizers applied to grow it, the energy spent to refrigerate it, and the emissions released during its transport. When food is discarded, all those impacts have occurred for nothing. The environmental dimension of FLW extends far beyond the visible waste. When fruits or vegetables rot, greenhouse gases such as methane are released, contributing to climate change.

Why Measuring Environmental Impact Is Essential?

Quantifying these impacts allows us to identify which parts of the chain have the greatest potential for improvement. That is where LCA becomes indispensable. This is a standardized method (ISO 14040–14044) used to evaluate the environmental performance of products or systems throughout their entire life cycle — from the extraction of raw materials to production, distribution, use, and disposal. In the food sector, it provides a comprehensive view of how agricultural inputs, processing technologies, packaging, and transport contribute to impacts such as: climate change, water scarcity, eutrophication, acidification, and resource depletion.

For instance, applying LCA enables researchers and policymakers to answer these key questions:

• Which stages of the supply chain contribute most to the environmental footprint?
• How many emissions are released for every kilogram of crop produced?
• Which interventions would bring the greatest reductions in environmental impact?

Supporting Circular and Sustainable Solutions

Accounting for environmental impacts through LCA does more than provide numbers — it helps guide decisions and policies. For example, LCA can support the design of circular strategies that transform unavoidable losses into new resources. However, not all valorisation pathways are equally sustainable, and LCA helps determine which ones truly reduce the overall footprint.

Moreover, environmental accounting can help align local actions with global goals, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which calls for halving per capita global food waste and reducing losses along production and supply chains by 2030, as well as with the European Union’s Farm to Fork Strategy, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of food systems and promote more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

A Call for Integrated Action

LCA plays a key role in bridging the gap between producers and consumers by making visible how decisions taken at every stage of the food chain — from agricultural practices and postharvest management to retail strategies and household behaviour — shape the overall environmental footprint of food systems. By revealing these interconnections, LCA helps all actors better understand their influence and supports more informed, sustainable choices.

In this context, the environmental LCA will be carried out by the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT) as part of the FUSION (PRIMA project), titled “Comprehensive and sustainable solution to minimize food loss and waste and promoting food security in the Mediterranean region”. This analysis provides a robust scientific basis to identify critical loss and waste hotspots across the food supply chain and to evaluate effective mitigation strategies tailored to the Mediterranean context.

To truly make progress, the insights gained from LCA need to be translated into practical actions at multiple levels:

• At the field level, evaluating climate-resilient tomato and pepper crop species better adapted to future environmental conditions, with the aim of reducing vulnerability to losses and lowering the associated environmental footprint.
• At the postharvest stage, assessing the potential of solar-powered portable cold storage and technologies that support shelf-life determination or extension — such as ethylene absorption systems or IoT tools — to prevent early losses and reduce the environmental impacts linked to energy use and food waste.
• Across handling and storage processes, exploring cold plasma as an advanced disinfection approach to improve product preservation while minimising environmental burdens.
• Evaluating circular approaches for the valorisation of unavoidable by-products, ensuring that these solutions effectively reduce overall environmental impacts and contribute to FLW reduction.

Environmental LCA should not be treated as an isolated tool but rather integrated into a common sustainability framework that also considers economic costs and social dimensions. This integrated approach ensures that strategies to reduce food loss and waste are environmentally effective, economically viable, and socially fair.

Dr. Laura Rasines Elena (Researcher on LCA, PRIMA project, UPCT).

RASA’s Expertise
Ramiro Arnedo, S.A. (RASA) specializes in the research, development, and production of horticultural seeds, including peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, melon, eggplant, bean, and artichoke. Their work focuses on developing new varieties resistant to diseases and adapted to climate change challenges, such as rising temperatures and drought.

Contribution to FUSION
Within the FUSION project, RASA is testing new greenhouse pepper varieties under different climatic conditions:

• Biougra (Agadir, Morocco): Five varieties of bell and conical peppers (red, yellow, green) are evaluated under high-temperature conditions typical of commercial greenhouses in the region.

• El Mirador (Cartagena, Spain): One commercial bell pepper variety is tested under two irrigation regimes: standard management and a 25% reduced dose (75% of regular irrigation) to compare performance under water scarcity.

Parameters assessed include fruit number, weight, shape, color intensity, cracking, firmness, plant vigor, and continuity. Fruits from the El Mirador trial will also be evaluated using the FUSION store prototype (portable refrigeration store) to assess long-term storage performance and food waste reduction.

Relevance within the Consortium
RASA provides key data on pepper varieties best adapted to Mediterranean climate conditions. Key goals include:

• Climate Adaptation: Developing varieties resistant to heat and drought while maintaining high yield and quality.

• Sustainability: Combining climate adaptation with disease resistance to minimize the use of chemical products, resulting in a positive impact on air, water, and soil quality.

• Innovation in Logistics: Testing commercial varieties in the portable refrigeration store to extend shelf life.

• Collaborative Research: Providing pepper fruits for testing other FUSION technologies and contributing to guides of good practices.

Additional Impact
RASA’s involvement strengthens collaborations between research institutions, cooperatives, and private companies within the agri-food value chain. The project aims to:

• Increase Biodiversity: Expand the number of varieties available to farmers, thereby reducing dependence on large multinational companies.

• Competitiveness: Strengthen RASA’s position in Mediterranean markets by offering solutions tailored to the specific needs of local customers and ecosystems.

MH Refrigeration Solutions, S.L., based in Murcia, Spain, is participating in the European FUSION project, bringing its expertise in industrial refrigeration. Their main contribution is the design and implementation of a Portable Cold Room (PCR), aimed at preserving food quality from harvest, even under challenging climatic conditions.

Four Decades of Expertise Applied to FUSION
The company has over 40 years of experience in industrial refrigeration, providing custom-made solutions and covering the entire project lifecycle, from conceptual engineering to final validation. In FUSION, MH Refrigeration applies this expertise to the challenge of reducing food loss in the tomato and pepper value chains.

The Technical Core: Portable Cold Room
The PCR is a mobile and efficient storage solution:

• Circular economy: built from repurposed maritime containers, providing a standardized and transportable structure.
• Advanced thermal insulation: high-density materials minimize heat transfer and maintain stable internal temperatures.
• Natural refrigerants and redundancy: uses R-290 (propane) and modular units, increasing efficiency and ensuring cooling continuity in case of component failure.
• Solar-powered autonomy: designed to operate mainly on solar energy, with batteries and thermal storage to maintain continuous operation.

Impact on the Value Chain
The PCR is optimized for the temporary storage of tomatoes and peppers, helping extend shelf life, reduce post-harvest losses, and improve the economic stability of farmers in the Mediterranean and North African regions. Its modular design allows adaptation to other perishable products in the future.

Role within the FUSION Consortium
Within the consortium, MH Refrigeration Solutions ensures that the innovations developed can be implemented under real industrial conditions, integrating different technologies and following rigorous validation and safety procedures.

Next Steps
The project will continue with the field implementation of the PCR, aiming to demonstrate that this technology can preserve product quality and contribute to reducing food losses.

How do we ensure that high-tech solutions for food waste actually work for a small farmer in rural Lebanon? This is the core mission of Consumers Lebanon (CONL) within the FUSION project. As a civil society organization with over a decade of experience, CONL acts as the vital bridge between scientific research and real-world social impact.

1. Validating Technology for the Real World

While universities develop innovative machinery, CONL ensures these tools are «field-ready.» In collaboration with the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT), CONL is testing a hybrid solar/biomass dehydration prototype.

• The Goal: Transform tomato and pepper by-products into healthy dehydrated snacks.
• The Focus: CONL assesses everything from energy consumption and microbiological safety to «consumer acceptability»—ensuring the final product is something people actually want to eat and can afford to produce.

2. From Local Knowledge to Global Best Practices

Innovation cannot happen in a vacuum. Under Work Package 4, CONL has been deep in the field, interviewing farmers and retailers to identify the structural and behavioral causes of food loss in Lebanon. These insights have directly shaped the regional Guide of Good Practices, ensuring that FUSION’s recommendations are not just theoretically sound, but culturally and economically appropriate for Mediterranean communities.

3. Training and Empowering Stakeholders

The most visible face of CONL’s work is its leadership in outreach. A standout moment was the multi-stakeholder workshop in Zahle (November 2025), which brought together researchers, policymakers, and farmers to discuss the tomato and pepper value chains. Beyond local workshops, CONL has represented the FUSION vision at international stages, such as the EAAE Congress in Bonn, connecting grassroots Lebanese experiences with global academic dialogues.

4. The Social Dimension: Will it be Accepted?

A technology is only successful if the community adopts it. Working on the Social Life-Cycle Assessment (s-LCA), CONL analyzes how FUSION’s innovations impact employment and community structures. Their surveys show a strong local interest in low-cost solutions like drying, proving that there is a path forward for sustainable, home-based food processing in Lebanon.

A Vision for Resilience

In a time of economic constraints, Consumers Lebanon’s role ensures that FUSION isn’t just a technical exercise, but a lifeline for food security. By linking local engagement with international research, they are helping build a more resilient and inclusive food system across the Mediterranean.

A workshop entitled “Collaborative Assessment of Food Loss and Waste in Lebanon: Challenges and Pathways for Action in the Tomato and Pepper Value Chains” was successfully held on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Zahle, Lebanon.

Organised within the framework of the FUSION project, the event brought together key stakeholders from the agricultural and food sectors to discuss the main challenges affecting food loss and waste in the tomato and pepper value chains, as well as to explore practical and collaborative solutions adapted to the Lebanese context.

The workshop provided a platform for open dialogue and knowledge exchange, allowing participants to identify current bottlenecks, share experiences, and discuss innovation-driven approaches that can contribute to reducing losses and strengthening food system resilience in Lebanon.

The event was jointly organised through the collaboration of Consumers Lebanon and the Institute for University Cooperation (ICU). A special contribution was made by Eng. Haidar Sleiman, founder of the Suncode project, who shared insights on dried tomato and pepper production and presented recent innovations in this field.

The organisers expressed their appreciation to the PRIMA Programme, the European Union, and all project partners and participants for their continued support and active engagement. Through initiatives like this workshop, the FUSION project continues to foster collaboration and collective action towards more sustainable and resilient tomato and pepper value chains across the Mediterranean region.

While the FUSION project begins its diagnostic phase on the ground, the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) is looking beyond data collection to drive a technological shift in how Egypt handles its produce. By integrating advanced research with grassroots empowerment, the project aims to turn post-harvest challenges into economic opportunities for the tomato and pepper sectors.

Scientific Innovation: Nature’s Shield for Fresh Produce
One of the most exciting frontiers of the FUSION project is the application of advanced biotechnology. ARC is leading scientific trials on natural and safe edible coatings. In the intense Egyptian climate, tomatoes and peppers lose moisture rapidly. These coatings act as a breathable “second skin,” slowing down respiration and protecting the fruit from spoilage without the need for chemical preservatives. This «clean label» approach not only keeps produce fresher for longer but also opens doors to lucrative international export markets.

Standardizing Excellence across the Delta and Upper Egypt
To ensure these innovations reach every corner of the country, from the humid Delta (Kafr El-Sheikh, Beheira) to the arid Upper Egypt (Luxor, Aswan), FUSION is developing a comprehensive training ecosystem. Rather than dense reports, the focus is on:

• Visual Learning: High-quality videos and infographics that translate complex post-harvest science into practical steps.

• Smart Solutions: Technical demonstrations on advanced cooling to remove «field heat» and smart packaging to survive long-distance transport.

Sustainability Beyond the Crop
The work led by ARC within FUSION represents a vital step toward a resilient Mediterranean food system. By reducing post-harvest losses, we are not just saving food; we are conserving the water, labor, and energy invested in every harvest. Through this blend of smarter science and hands-on training, FUSION is ensuring Egypt’s agricultural sector is equipped for the challenges of the 21st century.

The FUSION project consortium held its Second General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt (September 15–17, 2025), bringing together partners from across the Mediterranean to review progress and strengthen collaboration on actions aimed at reducing food loss and waste in tomato and pepper value chains.

Strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange The meeting, hosted by the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) and the Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI), opened with institutional welcome remarks from Prof. Ahmed El Sayed Abd El Mageed (Director of PPRI), Prof. Encarna Aguayo (FUSION Coordinator, UPCT), and Prof. Adel El Sayed Hatem (ARC).

Expert presentations addressed the journey of Egyptian agriculture from field to market and innovative opportunities in the drying sector. A highlight was the participation of the «Dried Company», which presented how drying tomatoes and peppers can enhance food security and reduce post-harvest losses.

Advancing Work Package 4: Training and Good Practices
A central focus was the progress of Work Package 4 (WP4). Partners, led by UPCT and GDS, discussed technical recommendations and the development of training contents. These materials are designed to empower farmers and agribusiness workers with practical, accessible solutions for post-harvest handling, ensuring they are adaptable across different Mediterranean contexts.

Aligning next steps and Technical Innovation
Partners reviewed upcoming deliverables and demonstration plans for FUSION technologies. The meeting concluded with a technical visit to the Dried Company’s facilities in the industrial zone of 6th October City, Giza. Participants observed industrial-scale heat and freeze-drying processes, gaining first-hand knowledge of how these treatments significantly reduce food loss while creating new market opportunities.

Building momentum for impact
The General Assembly reinforced the shared commitment to delivering tangible, scalable solutions. By combining innovation, training, and real-world demonstration, FUSION continues to move forward in its mission to promote more sustainable and resilient food systems across the Mediterranean.