Market research of canned fruits and vegetables in Ukraine (2020–2024)

Abstract

Fruit and vegetable products account for a significant share of the Ukrainian diet. Consumers want high-quality and safe agri­cultural products with valuable chemical composition. However, the storage of fresh raw materials is complicated by the seasonality of its cultivation and significant storage costs. The aim and objectives of the study were to present trends in the canned fruit and vegetable market, in particular, import and export volumes, and to justify the use of effective methods of canning vegetable raw materials to saturate the market with quality products. General scientific methods are used – collec­tion of information, its processing and genera­lization; economic and statistical, systematic and compre­hensive analysis of the market environment of canned fruit and vegetables in Ukraine. The paper identifies effective ways of preserving biologically active substances in long-term storage plant products, such as freeze-drying under vacuum, shock freezing, convective and infrared drying. Innovative ways to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables are analyzed: the use of alternative gas mixtures; the use of nanotechnology; the addition of natural pre­servatives with high antioxidant and antimi­crobial properties. The prospects for the production and consumption of fruit and vegetable products in Ukraine are outlined. It is established that imports of dried fruit and vegetable products prevail and exports of domestic frozen berries have decreased, but there is a tendency to develop craft enter­prises – local producers who produce canned fruits and vegetables according to their own authorʼs recipes and innovative technologies. Due to the martial law in Ukraine and the difficult energy situation, it is important to produce long-life food products for ordinary consumers and military personnel in extreme conditions, during hostilities away from supply bases. The described hypothesis indicates that the introduction of promising canning techno­logies and the use of local fruit and vegetable raw materials would contribute to the pro­duction of safe and high-quality products with preserved chemical composition and useful properties of fresh products, expanding their range and development of local enterprises for processing agricultural raw materials, and strengthening the market of canned fruit and vegetable products in Ukraine.