Research into nutrient crop loss

Scientists in Dundee are to investigate how to retain the healthy nutrients in crops in a £2.5m study, it has emerged. The Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) will analyse why natural nutrients are lost from fruit, vegetables and grains after harvest. The European Union-funded study will focus on plant metabolites - small, natural compounds which play a key role in human health and well-being. The SCRI said the transportation of crops would be studied. Dr Derek Stewart, who is leading the research, said: "For many foods the journey from the farm gate to the dinner plate is often accompanied by large reductions in the level of the natural compounds that we know are beneficial to health. "This can lead to chemicals having to be added back into the food to supplement these losses. "As part of this project we will look at the natural variation in the health beneficial compounds and nutrients in three main staple food crops: potatoes, wheat and tomatoes." He added that the SCRI would look at the post-harvest processing of the crops and their transportation to establish where the nutrients were being lost.