Sweden Advances Potato Storage and Processing with Smart Sensors, PEF Technology, and Edible Coatings
Recent developments in Sweden’s potato sector reveal a multi-pronged push to modernize storage infrastructure, improve processing efficiency, and reduce post-harvest losses. A notable innovation comes from Lyckeby, which has partnered with Nifitech to introduce temperature spears specifically designed for potato storage. Each spear contains three sensors — one at the tip pushed into the potato pile, and two flexible sensors placed under the Toptex cover and outside the pile — with all data accessible via the web, allowing growers to act in time to prevent storage losses. The spears are equipped with GPS for automatic positioning of each storage pile, and the cost is approximately 4,500 SEK per unit. This development reflects a broader recognition in Sweden that temperature control is decisive for storage outcomes, as both excessively high and low temperatures can quickly lead to losses and income reduction.
On the processing side, Swedish company OptiCept Technologies has been gaining significant commercial traction for its pulsed electric field (PEF) technology in industrial French fry production. Through partnerships with FPS Food Process Solutions, OptiCept’s OPTICEPT® PEF systems have been integrated into full production lines covering the entire chain from raw potato receiving and peeling to blanching, cutting, drying, frying, freezing, sorting, and packaging. The PEF step improves cutting uniformity, reduces waste, lowers energy consumption, and increases the proportion of saleable product. Multiple orders in 2026, including for a major line and one from FPS USA, confirm that the technology is now gaining strong traction in the global potato processing market. Separately, KITOCOAT has received 2.7 million SEK in project funding from Jordbruksverket to further develop and test its edible coating technology for root vegetables including potatoes, with the goal of reducing food losses during storage and transport.
