Tra fish processing for export (Source: VNA)HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Applyingmodern processing and preserving technologies for produce after harvesting iscrucial to ensure food safety and raise the value of agricultural products,experts said during a conference on food processing and preserving held in HoChi Minh City on September 20.
Dr Tran Ngoc Dam, Deputy Director of HCMCity University of Technology and Education’s Renewable Energy Research Centre,said that Vietnamese continued to rely on cost-ineffective methods usingchemicals, vacuuming and radiation in the final stages of packaging andpreserving.
To preserve produce effectively, factorsthat affect quality must be tackled directly. Plasma technology, for example,can destroy and suppress microorganisms, while leaving the food quality andcolour intact.
Tran Thi Ngoc Lan of the Binh LanEnvironmental Biochemistry Co. Ltd., said that Vietnam’s volume of agriculturalexports was still small compared to the country’s full potential due toundeveloped trade facilitation, high cost of materials, and limitations infarming and produce preservation (with farmers still using chemicals andpreservatives).
Duong Thi Ngoc Diep of the HCM CityUniversity of Agriculture and Forestry said that vegetable processing should beimproved, with more research on the nutritional value of vegetables and fruitsto make full use of their best qualities.
The conference was held as part of the 2018HCM City Animal Husbandry, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery ProcessingTechnology Fair and Exhibition, which ends on September 23.-VNS/VNA
VNA
