Smart potato storage (SAB)

We target smart bulk storage of potato tubers. Smart storage means long-term storage with minimal losses by considering all influencing factors as much as possible. We do so by expanding our knowledge on the product, the storage facility, and the ventilation requirements. The result is ventilation control tailored to the product.

We need to update our knowledge on potato storage and on climate control to meet the new needs of the sector. We build up knowledge on potato storage by cultivation trials and respiration tests. We examine the influence of potato variety, cultivation technique and maturity at harvest on the potato quality evolution during and after storage. This knowledge is bundled in a "batch passport", a set of key figures that defines the nature and storage life of a batch of potatoes. We build up knowledge on climate control by using mathematical models based on Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In that way, we examine the requirements for the storage infrastructure and ventilation. The batch passport indicates how the ventilation control is optimally set, taking into account the history of the product.

Potato growers have renewed guidelines for the optimal storage of their potatoes, adapted to the new varieties and the longer storage periods. The guidelines are product-specific because they take into account the history of the product. Potato growers and storage room builders have renewed guidelines for an optimal storage infrastructure.