The Postharvest Horticulture Training and Research Center (PHTRC) was given the Outstanding Institution Award by the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP).
NRCP gives the award to institutions that have supported and contributed to the growth and development of basic sciences, humanities, and arts in the Philippines.
PHTRC was commended by NRCP for being the only Philippine institution that implements a comprehensive research and extension (R&E) program on postharvest science and technology of tropical perishable crops.
NRCP also cited PHTRC for having trained leaders in postharvest development in the Philippines and the ASEAN, and for leading in the development of technologies that have significantly enhanced the global competitiveness of the Philippine horticulture industry.
The award was given at the NRCP Annual Scientific Conference and 84th General Assembly Meeting on March 22 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
The most notable technologies developed by PHTRC are the modification and optimization of vapor heat treatment for fruit fly disinfestation, a technology that has helped ensure the continuing export of mangoes from the Philippines to Japan; controlled atmosphere storage that enables export to distant countries; an ethylene adsorbent that prolongs the shelf-life of horticultural produce; hot water treatment of mangoes and papayas, and the PHTRC Hot Water Tank for postharvest disease control, for which UPLB has a registered trademark.
PHTRC was established in 1977 in response to a United Nations’ General Assembly resolution to reduce postharvest losses by 50%. With funds from the Australian government under the ASEAN-Australian Economic Cooperation Program and with core staff from the then Department of Horticulture, PHTRC first served as an ASEAN regional center for postharvest training and research.
