Abstract
In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) has been applied to analyze the greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions and energy requirements in the post-harvest life of apples from the Trentino-South Tyrol
region (Northern Italy). Data were collected over four years from two commercial apple packinghouses.
The key processes in the supply chain were identified based on direct observation, and different scenarios
for conservation, packaging, and transport, as well as the source of electricity were analyzed.
The results showed that the packaging was the main contributor to both the global warming potential
(GWP, from 68 to 98 gCO2eq per kg of apples) and to the cumulative energy demand (from 1.3 to 1.9 MJ/
kg). The cooling process (i.e., initial refrigeration and maintaining the cool temperature) that the fruit
undergoes before being stored was the second largest contributor to the environmental effects produced
during the apple post-harvest. The use of renewable energy is an attractive option to drastically reduce
the GWP of this phase. If long transportation distances need to be covered (for exple for export, or
distances exceeding 300 km), using rail transport or shipping could cut down substantially the environmental
costs. The most favorable environmental performances during the post-harvest of the apple
include the storage by controlled atmosphere (CA), the delivering of fruits in large reusable plastic bins
and their transport over short distances.