Advances in Research on Fresh-cut Vegetables from Production Techniques to Postharvest Handling

Author Biography

Prof. Antonio Ferrante is Full Professor of Plant Physiology at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa, Italy. His research focuses on postharvest biology, crop eco-physiology, plant nutrition, and the physiological and molecular mechanisms regulating plant senescence. Throughout his academic career, he has made significant contributions to understanding how environmental factors influence plant growth, quality, productivity, and stress responses, with particular attention to horticultural and agricultural crops. Professor Ferrante has coordinated and participated in numerous national and international research projects aimed at developing postharvest management, improving crop quality, and enhancing resource-use efficiency. His work integrates fundamental plant science with applied research to support innovation in product quality and food production. He has authored and co-authored a large number of scientific publications in leading international journals and has served as editor and reviewer for several prestigious scientific journals in the fields of plant science, horticulture, and crop biology. Prof. Dr. Giacomo Cocetta is an Associate Professor of Horticulture and Floriculture at the University of Milan, Italy. His areas of expertise include vegetable production, fresh-cut products, postharvest physiology and quality, hydroponics, protected cultivation, vertical farming and biostimulants. He teaches courses on protected cultivation, medicinal plants and crop quality, and contributes to doctoral training in Agriculture, Environment and Bioenergy.His research focuses on the physiological, biochemical and molecular processes underlying the quality of horticultural crops before and after harvest. Particular attention is devoted to fresh-cut vegetables, investigating the effects of processing and storage on senescence, nutritional quality and shelf life, alongside the identification of reliable markers for quality assessment. His work also explores plant responses to abiotic stress, biostimulants, and the influence of artificial lighting on crop performance and bioactive compounds.He coordinates research projects on sustainable horticultural production, integrating agronomic approaches with physiological and molecular investigations. His activities address cultivation practices and technologies that improve crop productivity, resource use efficiency and the preservation of quality throughout the production and postharvest stages.Dr. Cocetta is an Editorial Board Member of BMC Plant Biology and an Editor for Agriculture. He has coordinated an inter-university postgraduate programme on crop nutrition, fertilizers and biostimulants, and is actively involved in scientific dissemination, professional training and collaboration with growers and industry. His scientific output includes more than 75 Scopus-indexed publications. Prof. Dr. Silvana Nicola is a professor and researcher in Horticulture at the University of Turin, Italy. Her areas of expertise include vegetables, herbs, hydroponics, protected cultivation, postharvest handling, quality management, and supply chain efficiency. As a professor since 1996, she has taught at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, introduced new teaching methods, and incorporated soft skills training. Her research focuses on pre/post-harvest physiology of produce, fresh-cut products, and aromatic plants. She has coordinated projects on vertical farming, urban horticulture, biodiversity, and restoration of historical sites. She held visiting professorships internationally, a Fulbright scholarship in the USA, and FAO appointments. Dr. Nicola has served extensively as an editor, including: Editor-in-Chief of a book series with Springer; Specialty Chief Editor of Frontiers in Horticulture; Associate Editor of Frontiers in Plant Science; Section Board Editor for Horticulture; and Advisory Board member for multiple journals. Her leadership activities include: immediate past Secretary and past Vice President of the International Society for Horticultural Science; President of the European Vegetables Research Institutes Network; and expert evaluator for the EU, FAO, and others. She has published over 400 papers and is an invited speaker at international conferences.