Dr. Penelope ("Penny") Perkins-Veazie is the postharvest physiologist with N.C. State's Plants for Human Health Institute at the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis. In the case of agriculture, postharvest refers to the period and steps taken immediately after fruits and vegetables are harvested, such as cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing. Postharvest handling is extremely important because a crop begins to deteriorate the moment it is separated from its parent plant.
Penny's research involves storage methods to extend shelf life, collaborative studies to determine fruit and vegetable roles in human health, storage technologies to enhance functional food compounds, and the identification and quantification of compounds in fruits and vegetables that may benefit human health. She also evaluates food safety, quality and consumer-appeal characteristics such as fla­vor, color, antioxidants and texture to make sure growers will have better quality fruits and vegetables for high-value markets. No one can explain the research better than Dr. Perkins-Veazie, so watch on!