Perishable Agricultural Products Research Articles

Strategi Pengembangan Usahatani Stroberi (Fragaria vesca L) (Studi Kasus Di Desa Barudua Kecamatan Malangbong Kabupaten Garut)

This research aims to determine: 1) internal and external factors as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in strawberry cultivation, 2) Alternative strategies for developing strawberry cultivation. This research uses a case study method in Barudua Village, Malangbong District, Garut Regency. Respondents totaled was 41 people.
 Search results show that:
 
 Internal strength factors that can be identified in strawberry farming are: land ownership status, having customers, good fruit quality, farming experience, existence of farmer groups, participation of farmer group members, control of local markets,. Weakness factors include low capital, low human resources, low product processing, low access to financial institutions, and farmers as price takers. Meanwhile, external opportunity factors include: the market is still wide open, availability of production facilities that are easily accessible, agro-tourism areas, natural conditions that have potential for farming development, availability of transportation facilities, distance of farming locations to public roads, availability of land for farming development. Meanwhile, external threats include extreme or erratic weather, perishable agricultural products, lack of agro-industry partners, high price instability, supply from other regions, disruption due to pests and weeds.
 
 A good alternative strategy to apply in developing strawberry cultivation is to use the S-O strategy, where strawberry farmers can produce strategies that use their strengths to take advantage of existing opportunities. The S-O strategy has been formulated as follows: Farmer groups collaborate with third parties, expand land, regulate village regulations, diversify product.

Antifungal Activity of Streptomyces spp. Extracts In Vitro and on Post-Harvest Tomato Fruits against Plant Pathogenic Fungi

Plant pathogenic fungi are the most important cause of losses in agriculture. In the context of the overuse of synthetic fungicides, natural products are an encouraging alternative to control these plant pathogenic fungi. In this study, we tested the antifungal capacity of four strains of the genus Streptomyces against the plant pathogenic fungi Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum. We also investigated the effect of applying the extracts with the highest antifungal activities in a post-harvest setting for the control of B. cinerea on cherry tomato fruits. The results revealed the ability of these strains, especially Streptomyces netropsis A52M, to inhibit in vitro the growth and, in some cases, the sporulation of plant pathogenic fungi. The protective effect of the S. netropsis A52M extracts on post-harvest cherry tomato fruits infected with B. cinerea was demonstrated. In addition, when grown in co-culture, we observed an interesting phenomenon in which the Streptomyces mycelium physically encapsulated the fungal mycelium, contributing to its inhibition. This outcome offers the potential for research into the role of physical microbial interactions in fungal biocontrol. To sum up, the findings outlined here for the interactions between Streptomyces strains and plant pathogenic fungi are a promising, safer, and more sustainable biocontrol alternative to chemicals for agriculture. This is of particular interest in the protection of perishable agricultural products during the post-harvest phase.

Inclusive Regional Value Chains: Blockchaining Perishable Agricultural Products in Southern Africa

Abstract In Southern Africa due to unsystematically and uncoordinated regional value chain (RVCs), plenty of perishable agricultural products are lost because of spoilage and poor postharvest system misaligning upstream and downstream partners. Although appeal for increasing trade in Southern Africa region may seem plausible, there are strictly speaking no well-grounded economic reasons why perishable agricultural products trade should be an obsession. Broad-based inclusive RVCs through blockchaining perishable agricultural products could enable far more effective responses to region’s sustainable developmental challenges as it does in developed and emerging economies. Recently, the rise and expansion of inclusive RVCs and emphasis on blockchain has spurred major paradigm shift on revamping postharvest system. The investigate relevance of blockchaining initiatives towards inclusive RVCs to perishable agricultural products in Southern Africa. Through a quantitative research approach involving quantitative data collection methods, the research aims to assess the current challenges, opportunities, and perceptions regarding blockchain technology in the agricultural sector. Study findings practically and empirically contribute to excel blockchain for supporting development of inclusive and resilient value chains, providing insights for policymakers and stakeholders in promoting sustainable economic growth in Southern Africa’s agricultural sector.

Optimization of perishable agricultural products logistics distribution path based on IACO-time window constraint

With the development of modern logistics industry, the cold chain logistics distribution of perishable agricultural products has become an important link to ensure food quality and safety. Aiming at the complicated situation in the process of perishable agricultural products transportation path planning, a cold chain logistics distribution path optimization model based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) was proposed. Based on the traditional soft and hard time window constraint model, an optimized time window constraint model was proposed, and the update function of pheromone increment was substituted to optimize the traditional ant colony algorithm. An Improved Ant Colony Optimization (IACO)-time-window constrained path optimization model was proposed. The test results showed that in the convergence training experiment in Matlab environment, the research method only needed 19 iterations to reach the lowest level. In the experiment of application effect, the length of the path generated by the research method for car a was 188.93 km. Car Group a could complete 60.38 % offload at the fourth distribution node. The experimental results showed that the proposed route optimization model had better iteration efficiency and could effectively generate a shorter distance distribution path, which provides a new technical support for the route optimization of cold chain distribution of perishable agricultural products.

Methoxylated Flavonols and ent-Kaurane Diterpenes from the South African Helichrysum rutilans and Their Cosmetic Potential.

Chromatographic fractionation of a methanol extract of Helichrysum rutilans afforded seven known compounds. The isolated compounds were identified as 5,7,8-trihydroxy-3,6-dimethoxyflavone-8-O-2-methyl-2-butanoate (C-1), 5,7-dihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxyflavone (C-2), 5-hydroxy-3,6,7,8-tetramethoxyflavone (C-3), 5-hydroxy-3,6,7-trimethoxyflavone (C-4), ent-kaurenoic acid (C-5), ent-kauran-18-al (C-6), and 15-α-hydroxy-(-)-ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (C-7). Compounds C-1-C-4 demonstrated high antioxidant capacities on ORAC hydroxyl radical (2.114 ± 4.01; 2.413 ± 6.20; 1.924 ± 16.40; 1.917 ± 3.91) × 106; ORAC peroxyl radical (3.523 ± 3.22; 2.935 ± 0.13; 2.431 ± 8.63; 2.814 ± 5.20) × 103 µMTE/g; and FRAP (1251.45 ± 4.18; 1402.62 ± 5.77) µMAAE/g, respectively. Moderate inhibitory activities against Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation were observed for C-1-C-4 as IC50 values of 13.123 ± 0.34, 16.421 ± 0.92, 11.64 ± 1.72, 14.90 ± 0.06 µg/mL, respectively, while their respective anti-tyrosinase activities with IC50 values of 25.735 ± 9.62, 24.062 ± 0.61, 39.03 ± 13.12, 37.67 ± 0.98 µg/mL were also observed. All compounds demonstrated TEAC values within the range of 1105-1424 µMTE/g. The result is an indication that a methanol extract of H. rutilans might possibly be a good source of natural antioxidants against ailments caused by cellular oxidative stress and as inhibitors against skin depigmentation, as well as possible raw materials needed for slowing down perishable agricultural products. This is the first report on the phytochemical and biological evaluation of H. rutilans.

Performance study of PVT system for cold production by adsorption in a Mediterranean climate: Foodstuffs preservation

Abstract This work presents a numerical study on the performance of a stand-alone adsorption cooling system based on the silica gel/water couple driven by hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) collectors. This system is intended for the conservation of perishable agricultural products which require air-conditioned premises to preserve them. The weather conditions are those of North Africa (Algiers). Considering above, this paper aims at analyzing the PVT-Adsorption system with energy storage to guarantee a stabilized production and increase the solar coverage. TRNSYS was used to simulate the system taking into account hourly series of irradiation and ambient temperature covering one year. The performance study reveals that the DualSun PVT hybrid collectors used provide optimal annual production and that the adsorption cooling system offers more reliable production during summer. The temperature difference between the inside and outside of the cooled enclosure balances supply and demand. The loss analysis of the storage device indicates that losses depend, on the one hand, on the interior / exterior temperature difference of the storage tank with more significant values during the summer season. On the other hand, the losses also depend on the volume of the storage tank which was optimized in order to limit the heat exchange with the surroundings.

Bi-objective model for multi-level supply chain by focusing on quality of agricultural products: a case study

PurposeDue to the importance of quality to customers, this study considers criteria of quality and profit and optimizes both in a multi-echelon cold chain of perishable agricultural products whose quality immediately begins to deteriorate after harvest. The two objectives of the proposed cold chain are to maximize profit and quality. Since postharvest quality loss in the supply chain depends on various decisions and factors, in addition to strategic decisions, the authors consider the temperature setting in refrigerated facilities and transportation vehicles due to the unfixed shelf life of the products which is related to the temperature found by Arrhenius formula.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use bi-objective mixed-integer nonlinear programming to design a four-echelon supply chain. The authors integrate the supply chain echelons to detect the sources and factors of quality loss. The four echelons include supply, processing, storage and customer. The decisions, including facility location, assigning nodes of each echelon to corresponding nodes from the adjacent echelon, allocation of vehicles to transport the products from farms to wholesalers, processing selection, and temperature setting in refrigerated facilities, are made in an integrated way. Model verification and validation in the case study are done based on three perishable herbal plants.FindingsThe model obtains a 29% profit against a total cost of 71 and 93% of original quality of the crops is maintained, indicating a 7% quality loss. The final quality of 93% is the result of making a US$6m investment in the supply chain, including the procurement of high-quality raw materials; facility establishment; high-speed, high-capacity vehicles; location assignment; processing selection and refrigeration equipment in the storage and transportation systems, helping to maximize both the final quality of the products and the total profit.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed supply chain model should help managers with modeling decisions, especially when it comes to cold chains for agricultural products. The model yields these results – optimal location-allocation decisions for the facilities to minimize distances between the network nodes, which save time and maintain the majority of the products’ original quality; choosing the most appropriate processing method, which reduces the perishability rate; providing high-capacity, high-speed vehicles in the logistics system, which minimizes transportation costs and maximizes the quality; and setting the right temperature in the refrigerated facilities, which mitigates the postharvest decay reaction rate of the products.Practical implicationsComparison of the results of the present research with those of the traditional chain (obtained through experts) shows that since the designed chain increases the profit as well as the final quality, it has benefits for the main chain stakeholders, which are customers of agricultural products. This study model is expected to have a positive impact on the environment by placing strong emphasis on quality and preventing excessive waste generation and air pollution by imposing a financial penalty on extra demand production.Social implicationsSince profit and quality of the final product are two important factors in all cultures and communities, the proposed supply chain model can be used in any food industry around the world. Applying the proposed model induces growth in local industries and promotes the culture of prioritizing quality in societies.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research on a bi-objective four-echelon (supply, processing, storage and customer) postharvest supply chain for agricultural products including that integrates transportation logistics and considers the deterioration rate of products as a time-dependent variable at different levels of decision-making.

Analysis of rural–urban vegetable market dynamics in Central Gondar Zone, Ethiopia

BackgroundVegetable crops are among most perishable agricultural products which require efficient marketing system to reach them fresh to consumers. Weak market integration and sluggish price transmission of such perishable products can lead to suboptimal allocation of resources. This study was aimed to identify the degree of vegetable price integration and speed of price transmission between urban and rural vegetable markets.MethodsTwo rural markets (Maksegnit and Koladiba) and one central urban market (Gondar) were selected for the purpose of the analysis based on their strong relationship as supply and destination market for vegetable crops. Price data of vegetable crops were collected from September 2013 to December 2018 from each market areas trade and revenue department offices. Augmented Dickey-Fuller test, Granger causality test and error correction model were utilized in the process of the analysis.ResultsThe result shows that both rural markets were integrated with urban market for garlic crop. In addition, the rural markets caused the urban market to change not in the reverse direction. Moreover, urban market is adjusted by about 30% per month when there were a 1% price shock in rural markets for garlic crop. This speed of price transmission is sluggish for perishable crops and seasonally flexible prices.ConclusionThis study concluded that vegetable prices are determined from demand side and it should be the target for any planned policy modification.

Price volatility transmission of perishable agricultural products: evidence from China

Volatility transmission is a crucial price phenomenon that influences upstream production and downstream consumption in agricultural commodity markets. However, existing studies offer little evidence on how product perishability is related to price volatility transmission along the agricultural market chain. This study investigates how price volatilities are transmitted across the farm, wholesale, and retail stages using high-frequency data from litchi and apple markets in China. We adopt various MGARCH models and volatility impulse response functions to evaluate the time evolution of price volatility correlation, and the direction and magnitude of price volatility transmission. Empirical results indicate that in the litchi market chain, the wholesale stage plays a dominant role in price volatility transmission, and the wholesale and retail stages have higher volatility spillover effects on the farm stage than vice versa. However, we find little evidence of price volatility transmission along the apple market chain. Our findings suggest that the degree of price volatility transmission is stronger for higher product perishability.

Development of a hybrid mixed-mode solar dryer for product drying

Sun drying in the open air is quite popular worldwide. However, the use of solar dryers to preserve various perishable agricultural products is a relatively new area of study, and the long-term effects of this method are not yet fully understood. The slow drying process in direct sunlight can contaminate the dried materials by soil and insects. To overcome these challenges, we devised a sun drying system that included a heating part, a drying area, a portable stand, fans, and a 50-W photovoltaic panel. An alternate energy source was used to power the drying process during cloudy days and at night. Fresh Freestone peach, Golden apple, and Anaheim chilies weighing 10 kg each with the initial moisture content of 89%, 87%, and 75% on a wet basis (w.b), respectively, were used in the experiments. The final moisture content of the samples was reduced by an average of 16%, 15%, and 11% for Freestone peaches, Golden apples, and Anaheim chilies, respectively. The quality analysis was carried out to determine sample composition, total bacteria, and color of dried products. The results indicated that the dried products met the recommended quality standards for food products in terms of composition, total bacteria, and color. This research supports the use of a hybrid mixed-mode solar dryer for drying a wide range of perishable agricultural products.

Design and performance analysis of solar air heater with phase change materials

A novel solar air heater (SAH) with provision of integrating phase change material (PCM) was designed and developed in the Department of Energy, Tezpur University located in (26.7003°N and 92.8308°E). A code was developed in MATLAB platform to estimate design parameters of the PCMSAH viz., (i) air mass flow rate (0.018 kg/s), (ii) length of the absorber plate (1.57 m) and thickness of PCM cavity (1 cm) based on energy analysis. Required quantities of selected PCMs viz., acetamide (14.56 kg), stearic acid (12.12 kg) and paraffin wax (11.30 kg) were also assessed based on the PCM melting depth. Close agreement between the simulated and experimental outlet temperature was obtained and the mean relative error between experimental and theoretical outlet temperature for three different PCMs are 4.50 % (paraffin wax), 2.32 % (stearic acid) and 2.63 % (acetamide). Performances of the SAH with various PCMs (including acetamide, stearic acid, and paraffin wax) were compared to those of an identical SAH without PCM during both charging and discharging periods of operation. According to the outlet temperature profile of SAH with PCM compared to SAH without PCM, use of PCM becomes advantageous in terms of higher and smoother outlet temperature during the low sunshine period. The absorbed, useful, loss and stored heat for all the three PCMs were estimated, and paraffin wax was found to be highest as 36.56 kW, 14.13 kW, 0.83 kW and 21.59 kW. In terms of efficiency the paraffin wax (52.83 %) based SAH ranked first followed by stearic acid (52.31 %) and acetamide (47.25 %). During performance comparison between SAH with PCM and without PCM, efficiency of SAH with acetamide is found to be 15.09 % higher to the SAH without acetamide, similarly for SAH with paraffin wax is 8.18 % and acetamide is 6.67 % higher to the SAH without PCM respectively. The uncertainty analysis was carried out for thermal efficiency of the SAH is determined to be ±2.02 %. The novel PCM integrated SAH will be useful in space heating and solar drying of the local perishable agricultural products. It is also possible to carry out detail technique for selection of PCM for solar drying application along with the exergy, economy, and environmental analysis of the PCMSAH.

Development and evaluation of a low-cost evaporative cooling system for agricultural product storage

Agricultural products are highly perishable and, hence, we need to preserve these products after harvest. India is an agricultural country and, thus, the post-harvest storage of perishable agricultural products is important to reduce the gap between the demand and supply. Cold storage technologies have been developed and are used in India; however, these technologies are not popular in rural and remote areas due to the higher initial cost and the electrical energy requirement. Therefore, a number of low-cost technologies have been developed and, among these technologies, the evaporative cooling technology is gaining in popularity due to its simple design and lower initial cost. In this work, we have developed and tested a solar photovoltaic (PV) powered evaporative cooling system and used coconut coir as the cooling medium and compared the results with celdex pad. From this work, we observed that this system is an economical and efficient in reducing the temperature and increasing the relative humidity for the storage of agricultural products.

Management improvement of the supply chain of perishable agricultural products by combining the Scor model and AHP methodology. The ecuadorian flower industry as a case study

This research aims to identify and propose an analysis and redesign methodology for Supply Chain (SC) processes, leading to better performance and financial results. Our study focuses on the Ecuadorian flower industry redesigning processes and allowing higher levels of competitiveness. The methodology here proposed combines the SCOR (Supply Chain Operation Reference) and a Multi-Criteria Evaluation methodology, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The SCOR model allows mapping and describing the supply chain. By consulting with experts, the AHP helps examine and select decisive chain operational aspects for successful performance allowing redesign. According to the proposed methodology and expert consultation, those metrics, attributes, and processes with lower weight, should be improved. Although few research articles have applied the SCOR and AHP models to the agricultural sector, this study on the supply chain of the Ecuadorian floriculture sector leads us to conclude that model combination is a suitable methodology for supply chain analysis of any perishable product and, more specifically, the flower industry. Highlights Supply chain (SC) management is a crucial and decisive element in improving efficiency, productivity, and overall distribution and sale process. In perishable and temperature-sensitive products, like flowers, supply chain management (SCM) is imperative for avoiding financial losses. SCOR (Supply Chain Operation Reference) is a good model to measure SC performance. AHP helps examine and select decisive chain operational aspects for successful performance allowing redesign.

Mini cold storage using the parabolic solar trough: An appropriate technology for perishable agricultural product

Limited storage of perishable agricultural products is a common problem for small-scale farmers. Therefore, our approach for this problem is to develop a low operating cost mini cold storage using solar energy. The integration of solar thermal energy with vapor absorption refrigeration systems was studied. In vapor absorption systems, heat energy is taken as the source of input energy and the performance characteristics depend on heat energy supplied and pump work used. The novelty of our project is that it uses a parabolic solar heat collector to run a vapor absorption refrigeration system using heat energy extracted from solar energy. In this cyclic process, the refrigerating effect is produced. By utilizing this mini cold storage system, tomatoes can be stored for four weeks whereas, with room temperature storage, it only lasts one week. This appropriate technology promises small-scale farmers to keep their perishable agricultural products for several weeks without additional storage costs.

Spatial price equilibrium networks with flow-dependent arc multipliers.

The spatial price equilibrium modeling framework, which emphasizes the importance of transportation costs between markets, has been utilized in agricultural, energy, mineral as well as financial applications. In this paper, we construct static and dynamic spatial price equilibrium networks with flow-dependent arc multipliers, which expand the reach of applications. The static model is formulated and analyzed as a variational inequality problem, whereas the dynamic one is formulated as a projected dynamical system, whose set of stationary points coincides with the set of solutions of the variational inequality. Qualitative results are presented, along with an algorithm, the Euler method, which yields a time-discretization of the continuous-time adjustment processes associated with the product shipments from supply markets to demand markets. The algorithm is implemented and applied to compute solutions to numerical examples with flow-dependent arc multipliers addressing losses and/or gains, inspired by perishable agricultural products, and by financial investments. The results in this paper add to the literature on generalized networks as well as that on commodity trade.

PILLARS OF INDIAN ECONOMY IN COVID-19: COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF FARMING & AGRO BASED INDUSTRY

The country was under lockdown from more than two months due to COVID-19. In this crisis, the farmers have not allowed food security to be endangered. Moreover, they have increased food production despite all the obstacles. Right now, farmers are facing many obvious and climatic problems. Prime Minister of India has said that we have to convert this crisis into opportunity. The solution to farmer’s problems is necessary, to make the country Atmanirbhar Bharat and to take it rapid fast on the path of progress. The outbreak of this epidemic has come at a time when the harvesting of Rabi crops had already started. However, taking necessary steps, Ministry of Agriculture has worked with all agencies of selling and buying agricultural products, units notified by the state governments, farmers and agricultural labourers along with machines used in harvesting and sowing and agro-horticulture exempted from and out of state. In addition, the All India Transport Call Centre was launched to remove bottlenecks in the movement of seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, fish and other perishable agricultural products

Affordable cold storage for preservation of perishable agricultural products in the context of North Bengal

A cold storehouse is the most effective system of conserving perishable vegetable quality like tomatoes, potatoes cabbage, eggplant carrot, etc., but its high cost deters relinquishment by the planter, smallholder, producer, and entrepreneurs. Several low-cost cooling devices have been developed, but they cannot maintain the recommended storehouse temperature. Various types of fruit and vegetables taste best when they're gathered completely ripe and also consumed or reused. Leafy vegetables and sauces also don't keep long after the crop. With fruit and vegetables from the home garden, speedy consumption and further processing are no problem, but consumers also want a certain shelf life in addition to good quality and full aroma for bought products. This pretense is a challenge to farmers for fruit and vegetable because the metabolism of the products continues indeed after the crop when gathered in the optimal condition, the quality of the gathered material decreases continuously - it loses taste and constituents and changes its appearance and thickness until it's at some point is no longer comestible. Perishable products deteriorate fleetly during the post-harvest chain. Thus, it is required to give an affordable cold storehouse system to enhance the quality and shelf life of the perishable agricultural products for rural as well as urban use. In the following acquaintance, the reader will learn how solar cold storehouses may be used for the preservation of perishable products and will be affordable to growers and smallholders, producers as well as entrepreneurs.

Application of Dipping on CaCl2 as a Postharvest Treatment to Maintain the Quality of Pineapple during Storage

Pineapple is a perishable agricultural products, therefore it needs an appropriate treatments at the postharvest stage. An appropriate treatment will contribute on maintaining the quality and prolong shelf life of the products. Recently, several efforts have been conducted to achieve the purposes. Moreover, appropriate treatments are still required for alternatives solution of pineapples producers. This study aims to determine the effect of the dipping on CaCl2 solution at various concentration on physical (mold incidence and mold severity), chemical (pH value) and sensory properties (color, texture, aroma, taste, and overall acceptance) of pineapple during storage. The dipping of the fruits were conducted at hot condition (50℃). The samples were MD-2 pineapple with two different classification of shell color (shell color 0 and shell color 2). The results showed that there was no significant effect of CaCl2 application treatment by dipping in hot water (50℃) on the parameters of pH value. The incidence and severity of mold were detected after 16th of storage on treated samples and the control. After storage for 40th days, the treated sample had better sensory properties, particularly on texture, color, and overall acceptance.

PERAN DAN TANTANGAN E-COMMERCE SEBAGAI MEDIA AKSELERASI MANAJEMEN RANTAI NILAI PRODUK PERTANIAN

<p>E-commerce in Indonesia is growing fast along with the increasing use of the internet. However, e-commerce adoption has many obstacles, such as the low capability of human resources and infrastructure readiness. This writing aims to identify the roles and challenges of e-commerce agricultural products, review the management aspects of e-commerce agricultural products, and formulate recommendations for e-commerce development in Indonesia. The method used for this research is a literature review. E-commerce is a technology meant to cuts the agricultural value chain. However, it has challenges in implementation, namely, non-durable and perishable agricultural products, compatibility of human resources, too many tax regulations, and the quality and diffusion of the internet. The establishment of e-commerce has a social mission: increasing farmers' welfare. It aims to overcome the farmer's problems, namely limited access to the market and finance. Recommendations for using e-commerce as a medium for accelerating value chain management should be conducted through a dimensional approach, namely human resources, natural resources, technology, markets and finance. Its implementation is to increase the ability of human resources to the novelty of science and technology and to optimize the use of natural resources while still paying attention to ecosystem sustainability. The development of science and technology for e-commerce and agricultural products needs to be carried out following market challenges and creating an inclusive financial system.</p>

The problem of optimizing the schedule of perishable agricultural products processing

Subject. The article addresses the economic, scientific, technological, and production activities of processing plants within the agri-industrial complex. Objectives. The study aim to analyze and describe the specifics of storing perishable agricultural products, and the impact on both the further processing and final results of a processing enterprise. Methods. We employ methods of analysis and synthesis, grouping and comparison, abstraction, generalization, and analogy. We provide a mathematical model that describes the sugar beet processing, taking into account the level of sugar content, based on methods of mathematical modeling and optimization theory. Results. Our analysis of the influence of storage time of perishable agricultural products on their further processing showed that this factor can have a serious impact on the results of processing enterprises. We investigated the issue, using the case of such an important technical culture as sugar beet. We highlight an important factor, which can significantly improve the results of economic activity of enterprises, i.e. the formation of a schedule for the order of processing of sugar beet with different levels of sugar content. Conclusions. To maximize the final output, the sugar beet processing should start with batches of maximum sugar content. We provide assessments, characterizing the level of final output, should this rule be violated. The findings may serve as a basis for developing more general mathematical models, which describe the sugar beet processing and consider other factors, including the dynamics of the process of beet pile fields replenishment with sugar beet of various sugar content.