Project description
New partnership to slash crop losses
Crop losses due to fungal and mycotoxin contamination have become a pervasive threat, endangering food security and profitability. However, a game-changing solution is on the horizon. The EU-funded MyToolBox project will mobilise a diverse partnership, including academia, farmers, technology SMEs, food industry experts and policy stakeholders, with the mission to slash crop losses by as much as 90 %. Specifically, the project will adopt a holistic approach, encompassing pre- and post-harvest interventions, genetic resistance research, predictive models and innovative technologies. Expanding beyond prevention, this initiative will address safe utilisation options for contaminated batches. Overall, MyToolBox represents a beacon of hope in the fight against fungal and mycotoxin contamination, ensuring a more resilient and sustainable future for agriculture.
Objective
MyToolBox mobilises a multi-actor partnership (academia, farmers, technology SMEs, food industry and policy stakeholders) to develop novel interventions aimed at achieving a 20-90% reduction in crop losses due to fungal and mycotoxin contamination. MyToolBox will not only pursue a field-to-fork approach but will also consider safe use options of contaminated batches, such as the efficient production of biofuels. A major component of MyToolBox, which also distinguishes this proposal from previous efforts in the area mycotoxin reduction, is to provide the recommended measures to the end users along the food and feed chain in a web-based Toolbox. Cutting edge research will result in new interventions, which will be integrated together with existing measures in the Toolbox that will guide the end user as to the most effective measure(s) to be taken to reduce crop losses. We will focus on small grain cereals, maize, peanuts and dried figs, applicable to agricultural conditions in EU and China. Crop losses using existing practices will be compared with crop losses after novel pre-harvest interventions including investigation of genetic resistance to fungal infection, cultural control, the use of novel biopesticides (organic-farming compliant), competitive biocontrol treatment and development of forecasting models to predict mycotoxin contamination. Research into post-harvest measures including real-time monitoring during storage, innovative sorting of crops using vision-technology and novel milling technology will enable cereals with higher mycotoxin levels to be processed without breaching regulatory limits in finished products. Research into the effects of baking on mycotoxin levels will provide better understanding of process factors used in mycotoxin risk assessment. Involvement of leading institutions from China are aimed at establishing a sustainable cooperation in mycotoxin research between the EU and China.
Fields of science
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseases
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbiofuels
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturegrains and oilseedscereals
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
1180 Wien
Austria
See on map
Participants (23)
6708 PB Wageningen
See on map
1010 Wien
See on map
TF10 8NB Newport
See on map
06800 ANKARA
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
43122 Parma
See on map
MK43 0AL Cranfield - Bedfordshire
See on map
08940 Madrid
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
21000 Novi Sad
See on map
29122 PIACENZA
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
10589 Berlin
See on map
Participation ended
32260 Isparta
See on map
6708 PB Wageningen
See on map
1430 Aas
See on map
100193 Beijing
See on map
3131 Getzersdorf Bei Traismauer
See on map
100037 Beijing
See on map
68165 Mannheim
See on map
25003 Lleida
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
80400 Vyriv
See on map
izmir
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
21220 Becej
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
100081 HAIDIAN BEIJING
See on map
8074 Raaba
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.