Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Postharvest physiology

 Fruit and vegetables are still alive after harvest

 Essential (maintenance) metabolic processes such as
respiration, photosynthesis, and membrane damage repair
continue for a while
 Maintenance processes stop when substrates (e.g., sugars) are
depleted in products such as leafy vegetables; membranes
become leaky and cells die
 In vegetables and non-climacteric fruit normal development
processes stall
 Defense systems, e.g., antioxidant system, breaks down and
product becomes prone to attack by phytopathogens

77
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Deterioration processes start, e.g., breakdown of middle

lamella
 Apoptosis: programmed cell death

 Some fruit (climacteric fruit) may continue to develop (ripen)

after harvest
 Ripening triggered by plant hormone ethylene
 Ripening processes prepare fruit to be consumed
• Starch hydrolysis and sugar accumulation (taste)
• Disappearance of organic acids (taste)
• Softening (enzymatic breakdown of cell walls) (texture)
• Biosynthesis of volatile components (aroma)
• Biosynthesis of pigments (color)

78
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Maturation, ripening, and senescence induce many changes in

fruits and vegetables
 Ripening hastens the onset of senescence and the probability of
cell injury and death

79
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Post-harvest handling
 Fruits and vegetables are nutritious, valuable foods full of flavor
 However poor care and handling of these crops frequently results in
loss of quality this the case in developing countries

 The stage of crop production immediately following harvest,

including cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing.
80
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 A crop is removed from the ground, or separated from its parent

plant, it begins to deteriorate.
 Post-harvest treatment largely determines final quality
Goals of post-harvest handling
 Keeping the product cool
 To avoid moisture loss
 Slow down undesirable chemical changes
 Avoiding physical damage such as bruising, to delay
spoilage
 Sanitation is also an important factor 81
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Perishability and produce loss

Foods are frequently classified based on the basis of their stability
as:
 Non-perishable
 Semi-perishable
 Perishable
 Fresh fruits and vegetables are perishable and highly prone to
post harvest losses because they are composed of living tissue.

 Increased in production as a means of increasing food availability

is provided by improved storage and conservation, leading to
reduced post harvest loss.
 Good conservation of fresh produce is especially important in the
tropics
82
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
Factors affecting post-harvest loss
 Losses due to
 Physical
 Physiological
 Mechanical
 Hygienic conditions
 Fruits and vegetables are characterized by high metabolic
activities and known to posses short storage life
 Thus, significant losses occur between harvesting to consumption
 Insect and mite injury, disease due to non-infectious pathogens
and rots are also responsible for the losses 83
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Environmental factors
 Temperature
 Relative humidity
Are also responsible for the losses
 Oxygen

 Therefore post harvest losses of fruits and vegetables can be

studied as primary and secondary causes
Primary causes
 Mechanical
 Physiological
 Pathological
 Environmental
Mechanical injury
 Caused by carless handling during harvesting, packaging,
transportation, storage etc. 84
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Some insects and birds are also responsible for the injuries
Injuries like bruising and cracking increase the rate of water loss
and gaseous exchange
 Fruits and vegetables receive maximum mechanical injury
if proper means of picking and harvesting are not adopted
 Processing operations such as spillage, abrasion, excessive
polishing, peeling and trimming add to the loss of commodity
 Puncturing of the containers and defective seals also leads to
mechanical injury

85
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
Microbial action
 Fruits and vegetables are also prone to microbial spoilage caused
by fungi, bacteria, yeast and moulds
 A significant losses during post-harvest period is attributed to
diseases caused by fungi and bacteria
 The succulent nature of fruits and vegetables makes them
easily invaded by these organisms
 It is estimated that 36 % of the vegetable decay is caused by soft
rot bacteria
 Similarly rot in soft fruits caused by fungi is also very destructive
86
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 The most common pathogens causing rots in vegetables and fruits

are fungi such as Alternaria, Botrytis, Diplodia, Monilinia,
Phomopsis, Rhizopus, Pencillium, Fusarium, etc
 Among bacteria Ervinia, Pseudomonas, etc. cause extensive damage

Environmental factors
 Temperature, humidity, composition and proportion of gases in
controlled atmospheric storage play an important role
 High temperature and relative humidity favor the growth of
micro-organisms extensive damage to the produce
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 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 The microbial attack to different crops becomes very slow at low

temperature especially when it is below 5 °C
 Chilling injury by low temperature is commonly observed with
tropical and subtropical fruits and vegetables
 High temperature also increases the rate of respiration the
breakdown of the inner tissues
 Decaying of fruits and vegetables is increased by high temperature
coupled with high relative humidity
 Aeration in the storage containers or in stores has its bearing on RH

88
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Effects of high RH on decay is closely related with the effects of

temperature
 Relative humidity below 90 % does not permit micro-organisms to
grow on the surface of fruits and vegetables
 Hollow heart disease in potato is a good example of faulty oxygen
balance in storage or during transportation
 A large chunk of potatoes is destroyed by this disorder every year

89
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

SUMMARY
 Temperature management is the most important tool for
extension of shelf life and maintenance of the quality of fresh
fruit
 Relative humidity influences water loss, decay development,
incidence of some physiological disorders, and uniformity of fruit
ripening
 Optimal relative humidity for storage of fruits is 85 to 90%
 Finally, atmospheric composition (O2, CO2, and C2H4, in particular)
can greatly affect respiration rate and storage life
90
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Secondary causes
 Inadequate harvesting, transportation, storage and marketing
facilities and legislation lead secondary causes of loss
 Inadequate harvesting facilities and rough handling during
harvesting results in bruising contamination with organisms
 A prolonged period taken for harvesting and grading in field
 subsequently causes faster senescence
 Use of improper machinery and equipment in mechanical
harvesting cause serious losses
 E.g. mechanical harvesting of tomato has been reported
to result in more cracking (33 %) than hand picking (10 %)
91
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
Harvesting
 During rain or immediately after rains creates conditions favorable
for decay organisms
 During hotter part of the day results in faster senescence, shriveling
and wilting of fruits and vegetables
Inadequate storage
 At the producing or marketing centers, leaves the produce to the
natural causes of losses
 That is decay by organisms, respiration, transpiration and
other biochemical reactions
92
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
 Proper storage thus creates conditions unfavorable to these
factors
Control of Post-Harvest Loss
 The magnitude of post-harvest loss in fruits and vegetables can be
minimized by proper
 Cultural operations
 Harvesting
 Transportation
 Storage
 Pre and post- harvest treatments
93
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

A. Cultural operations
 Ensure the normal development of fruits and vegetables and avoid
infection of decay organisms
 In case of vegetables, especially root crops such as carrot and radish,
preparation of the soil to a fine tilth of porous nature
 Necessary to avoid root forking
 Regular irrigation during the development of bulbs, tubers and fruit
vegetables is of vital importance
 Interrupted supply of water causes cracking of carrot, radish, tomato
and splitting of outer scales of onions
94
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Sudden and heavy irrigation at late maturity after a long dry spell,
results in cracking of water- melon and tomatoes

95
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 In onion and garlic, to ensure better keeping quality, irrigation

should be stopped before" three weeks of harvesting
 Heavy application of nitrogenous fertilizers cause faster tissue
deterioration in fruits and vegetables
 Proper training and pruning of fruit trees and removal of dead or
infected branches enable the, trees to receive proper sunlight

96
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
 Mulching should be practiced as it conserves water, nutrients and
keeps control over weeds and helps to obtain quality commodities

97
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

98
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

B. Harvesting and field handling

 Consumers always prefer fresh, properly matured, insect and
disease free fruits and vegetables of attractive appearance
 Vegetables should be harvested as and when they attain the
maximum size and yet are tender
 Over maturity in root crops causes sponginess and pithiness
therefore, their harvesting should not be delayed.

99
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 The delayed harvesting of onion and garlic reduces their storage

quality
 Almost all the crops are badly affected due to delayed harvesting
 Harvesting of fruits and vegetables should be done at cooler parts
of the day
 And the produce should be shifted to the packing shade as
early as possible
 Harvesting during hot period raises the field heat of the produce
and consequently wilting and shriveling may occur

100
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Harvesting of vegetables during or immediately after the rains

should not be carried out
 As it creates conditions most favorable for the multiplication
of micro-organisms
 Manual harvesting using knife and spade clippers for fruit picking is
still in vogue ~ in developing countries
 While harvesting vegetables, care should be taken to avoid
mechanical injury
 Buckets, sacks, baskets and boxes are used to collect the produce
from the field to a central collection point
101
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Containers include baskets, buckets, carts, and plastic crates

(Figure below)

102
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Many of these containers are poorly designed, inadequately

maintained and unsuitable for job
 The field container should be designed
 No to not cause any injury to the field operations
 A high standard of field hygiene should be maintained

C. Washing and grading

 Almost all fruits and vegetables require special preparation before
they are packed
 Vegetables such as root and tuber crops are often washed to
remove the soils adhering over them 103
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Washing of fruits before packing is also very important, especially of

those which have been treated with poisonous chemicals
 washing also improves the appearance of fruits and vegetables and
prevents their wilting.
 Grading is an important practice for successful marketing of fruits
and vegetables
 Fruits and vegetables are graded according to shape, size and color
 Some fruits and vegetables are also graded according to their
maturity, ripeness and general appearance as well

104
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
D. Packaging
 Packaging of fruits and vegetables has a great significance in
reducing the wastage
 Provides protection from
 Mechanical damage
 Undesirable physiological changes
 Pathological deterioration during storage, transportation
and marketing
 Through proper packing, Freshness, succulence and flavor of fruits
and vegetables can be maintained for a longer period
105
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Careful harvesting, handling, and transporting of fruits and

vegetables to packinghouses are necessary to preserve product
quality
 The important packaging materials such as wooden boxes, bamboo
baskets, jute bags, earthen pots and corrugated fibre board boxes
are most used in the developing countries
 Cheap packaging technique and materials such as polythene films,
paper board boxes lined with polyethylene and other materials can
effectively prolong the storage- life of fruits and vegetables

106
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 All the packages must be provided with some amount of ventilation

in order to prevent the physiological break- down of the produce
 If there is impermeability to carbon dioxide , oxygen and water
vapor inside the package, there may be the development of off-
flavor
 While packing for transportation, care should also be taken to
avoid bruising and damage of fruits
 For this purpose dry grasses or paddy straw can be successfully
used between the layers of fruits

107
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Polyethylene bags
 Clear polyethylene bags are used to pack banana bunches
in the field
 Packed banana then transported to the packinghouse by means of
mechanical cableways running through the banana plantation
 This technique of packaging and transporting bananas reduces
damage to the fruit caused by improper handling

108
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Plastic field boxes

 These types of boxes are usually made of polyvinyl chloride,
polypropylene, or polyethylene
 They are durable and can last many years
 Many are designed in such a way that they can nest inside each
other when empty to facilitate transport, and can stack one
on top of the other without crushing the fruit when full
(Figure below)

109
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Plastic field boxes with nest/stack design

110
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Wooden field boxes

 These boxes are made of thin pieces of wood bound together
with wire
 They come in two sizes: the bushel box with a volume of 2200 inch
(36052 cm ) and the half-bushel box
 They are advantageous because they can be packed flat and are
inexpensive, and thus could be non-returnable
 They have the disadvantage of providing little protection from
mechanical damage to the produce during transport

111
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Rigid wooden boxes of different capacities are commonly used to

transport produce to the packinghouse or to market

Typical wooden crate holding fresh tomatoes

112
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Packaging in post-harvest handling

According to Wills et al. (1989), modern packaging must comply with

the following requirements:
 The package must have sufficient mechanical strength to
protect the contents during handling, transport, and stacking
 The packaging material must be free of chemical substances
that could transfer to the produce and become toxic to man
 The package must meet handling and marketing requirements
in terms of weight, size and shape

113
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 The package should allow rapid cooling of the contents.

Furthermore, the permeability of plastic films to respiratory
gases could also be important
 Mechanical strength of the package should be largely unaffected
by moisture content (when wet) or high humidity conditions
 The security of the package or ease of opening and closing
might be important in some marketing situations
 The package must either exclude light or be transparent
 The package should be appropriate for retail presentations

114
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 The package should be designed for ease of disposal, re-use, or

recycling
 Cost of the package in relation to value and the extent of contents
protection required should be as low as possible

115
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Classification of packaging
 Packages can be classified as follows:
 Flexible sacks; made of plastic jute, such as bags (small sacks)
and nets (made of open mesh)
 Wooden crates
 Cartons (fibre board boxes)
 Plastic crates
 Pallet boxes and shipping containers
 Baskets made of woven strips of leaves, bamboo, plastic, etc

116
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Fibreboard boxes
 are used for tomato, cucumber, and ginger transport
Advantages
 They are light in weight
 They cause much less damage to fruits
 They are easy to handle and print
 They improve the image of the product
 They reduce the freight cost
 They can be made from cheaper wood and other plant
cellulose waste 117
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Disadvantages
 The effect of high humidity, which can weaken the box;
neither are they waterproof
 They are often of lower strength compared to wooden or
plastic crates

118
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

E. Cooling methods and temperatures

 Several methods of cooling are applied to produce after harvesting
to extend shelf life and maintain a fresh-like quality
Precooling
 It is desirable to remove field heat of the harvested vegetables,
particularly when harvested during hot weather
 This prevents the ripening and ageing of the produce
 Precooling may be done with cold air, cold water (hydrocooling),
direct contact with ice, or by evaporation of water from the
product under a partial vacuum (vacuum cooling)
119
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Reduces respiration rate especially, climacteric fruits such as

banana, papaya and mango, thereby preventing over-ripening
 Sometimes, stages of ripening and the level of field heat also
determines the need of pre-cooling
 To maximize the effect of precooling, the crop should be brought to
the optimum temperature as quickly as possible after harvest
 Precooling is not always necessary since some crops are not very
perishable and rapid cooling would make no difference to their
storage life e.g. curing root crops, drying bulb crops

120
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
 The rate of precooling of crops depends on:
 The difference in temperature between the crop and cooling
medium
 Accessibility of the cooling medium to the crop
 The nature of the cooling medium
 The velocity of the cooling medium
 The rate of transfer of heat from the crop to the cooling
medium.
 Heat can be removed from the crop in one of three ways:
 Conduction
 Convection
 Radiation 121
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Recommended minimum temperature to increase storage time

 There is no ideal storage for all fruits and vegetables, because their
response to reduced temperatures varies widely
 The importance of factors such as mould growth and chilling
injuries must be taken into account, as well as the required
length of storage (Wills et al., 1989)
 Crop susceptibility to chilling injury is influenced by factors such as
exposure time, crop cultivar and the conditions in which the crop
was grown

122
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
 Storage temperature for fruits and vegetables can range from -1 to
13°C, depending on their perishability
 Extremely perishable fruits such as apricots, berries, cherries, figs,
watermelons can be stored at -1 to 4°C for 1-5 weeks
 Less perishable fruits such as mandarin, nectarine, ripe or green
pineapple can be stored at 5-9°C for 2-5 weeks
 Bananas stored at 10°C for 1-2 weeks and green bananas at 13°C
for 1-2 weeks
 Highly perishable vegetables can be stored up to 4 weeks such as
asparagus, beans, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts at -1-4°C for 1-4
weeks 123
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Green tomato is less perishable and can be stored at 10°C for 3-6
weeks
 Non-perishable vegetables such as carrots, onions, potatoes and
parsnips can be stored at 5-9°C for 12-28 weeks
 Similarly, sweet potatoes can be stored at 10°C for 16-24 weeks
 The storage life of produce is highly variable and related to the
respiration rate

124
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 There is an inverse relation between respiration rate and storage life

in that produce with low respiration generally keeps longer
 For example, the respiration rate of a very perishable fruit like ripe
banana is 200 ml CO2.kg-1h-1 at 15°C
 Compared to a non-perishable fruit such as apple, which has a
respiration rate of 25 mL CO2.kg-1 h-1 at 15°C

High temperatures
 Exposure of fruits and vegetables to high temperatures during
post-harvest reduces their storage or marketable life
125
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 This is because as living material, their metabolic rate is normally

higher with higher temperatures
 High temperature treatments are beneficial
 In curing root crops
 Drying bulb crops
 Controlling diseases and pests in some fruits

126
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

F. Transportation
 Transportation and distribution of the fruits and vegetables are
the most important areas of post-harvest loss
 The long distance transportation is mainly by rails and trucks,
which is very costly
 The basic reason for preference to road transportation is because
it takes short transit period
 Quick transport of fruits and vegetable in order to maintain the
quality with minimum damage for
successful marketing of the produce
127
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 The losses in transportation occur due to

 Physical
 Mechanical
 Environmental factors (temperature and humidity)
 To ensure fewer losses, adequate long distance facilities especially
by rails should be developed
 The produce should be properly packed and stacked in well
ventilated carriages
 Refrigeration and relative humidity control in carriages is of
vital significance
128
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 The surface of roads and their maintenance, need improvement in

order to have smooth transportation without severe jerks and
vibration
 Hence, efficient transport system can go a long way, not only in
reducing the post-harvest loss of horticultural produce but also in
stabilizing the price fluctuations of the same commodity available in
different markets of the country

129
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
G. Storage
 One of the most important aspects of post- harvest handling of
fruits and vegetables
 The main objective is
 To extend the storage life of fruits and vegetables and
increase their period of availability by controlling
 The rate of respiration
 Transpiration
 Ripening
 Any un-desirable bio-chemical changes and
disease infection 130
Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity)

 Atmospheric concentration of certain gases
 To preserve the commodity in its most usable form for the
consumer
 To hold raw material obtained during favorable price situations
 To condition certain commodities such as potatoes, onions,
and garlic
 To ripen certain fruits such as mangoes and bananas

131
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 A substantial quantity of perishable crops go waste in developing

countries due to lack of proper storage facilities
 Certain crops are stored for long periods of time to extend the
duration of their availability
 However, long-term storage can be expensive and require a high
level of technical knowledge of the crop

132
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 The factors which need to be taken into account before embarking

on crop storage are:
 Knowledge of the appropriate storage conditions
 Cultivar or variety of crop suitable for storage
 Appropriate storage facilities available
 Suitable management available
 The cost of storage can be very high and the following costs need to
be taken into account:
 Erection of storage structure
 Maintenance of structure
133
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Cost of loading and unloading crop

 Possible cost of electricity
 Possible cost of storage containers
 Depreciation on capital
 Proper marketing of perishable commodities often requires some
storage, to balance day-to-day fluctuations between
 Harvest and sale or
 For long-term storage to extend marketing beyond the
end of harvest season

134
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
 Storage of fresh fruits and vegetables prolongs their usefulness
and in some cases, improves their quality
 It also controls a market glut (supply with an excess)
 Storage life can be prolonged by
 Harvesting at proper maturity
 control of postharvest diseases
 Chemical treatments
 Irradiation
 Refrigeration
 controlled and modified atmospheres, and by several
135
other treatments
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

The main goals of storage include the following:

I. Slow the biological activity of fruits and vegetables without
chilling injury
II. Slow the growth of microorganisms
III. Reduce transpirational losses to avoid the following undesirable
processes that may occur in certain fruits and vegetables:
 Sprouting: potatoes, onions, ginger, garlic
 Elongation: asparagus, carrots, beets, kohlrabi exhaustion
of food reserves

136
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Rotting: due to increased humidity that may result in rapid decay,

shriveling, and
 Greening: exposure of potatoes to light during storage may produce
green tissue and synthesis of toxic glycoalkaloids such as solanine
and chaconine
 Toughening: green beans and sweet corn due to prolonged storage
at relatively high temperatures
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Factors need to be considered for success of produce storage:

I. Temperature
 Temperature in a storage room should normally be maintained at the
desired level for commodities being stored
 Delay in cold storage reduces marketability of fruits and vegetables
 Temperatures below the optimum range for a given fruit or a
vegetable will cause freezing or chilling injuries
 Temperatures above, depending upon the produce, will reduce
storage life

138
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 A wide temperature fluctuation can result in rapid weight and water

loss depending upon maturity of produce
II. Relative humidity
 For most perishable fresh fruits and vegetables, the relative humidity
should be maintained between 90% and 95%
 The relative humidity below this range will result in a moisture loss
from the produce ~ the produce will be shriveled and limp
 Refrigeration equipment must be especially designed to maintain a
higher relative humidity

139
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
 By using high relative humidity during storage, care must be taken to
prevent the growth of surface microorganisms
III. Atmospheric composition
 Addition of gases allowing the commodity to produce or consume
gases or by physically or chemically removing undesirable gases
from the storage room
 Gases such as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), ethylene
(C2H4), and nitrogen (N2) can be added
 Perishable fruits and vegetables undergo respiration, they consume
O2 and release CO2
140
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 This effect can be successfully used to control the desired

concentration of these gases in storage
 Reduced O2 concentrations and increased CO2 concentrations
proved to be beneficial for products
 High concentrations of undesirable gases are removed by scrubbing
devices
 For example, CO2 can be absorbed in water or lime, C2H4 can be
removed by potassium permanganate
 Oxygen can be removed by using it in a combustion process or by a
molecular sieve
141
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
 In certain cases, external concentrations of gases are desirable and
the accumulated gases can be adjusted by ventilation
IV. Air movement
 Must be sufficient to remove respiration heat, because it is essential
that all parts of the room are subject to a uniform flow of air
 Proper placement of blowers or ducts and stacking of fruits and
vegetables will permit free air flow
 The successful operation of a large refrigeration system requires an
efficient control system
 Microcomputers are presently used to allow precise controls for
142
large warehouse refrigeration systems
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

V. Light and other factors

 Light may influence the quality of fruits and vegetables by
controlling the synthesis/degradation of pigments
 Light can reduce nutritive value by degrading vitamins such as
ascorbic acid and riboflavin, and production of toxins
 Exposure of potato tubers to light in stores can synthesize
glycoalkaloids (solanine and chaconine), which are toxic to humans
 Likewise, other factors such as herbicides, fungicides, pesticides,
and growth regulators may affect the produce and may have
harmful effects on humans
143
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Storage Operations
 The increase of fruit and vegetable production, owing to large
acreage and high-yielding cultivars, requires sufficient storage space
 Storage operations may be either temporary, short term, or long
term
Temporary storage operations
 Are needed for highly perishable produce that requires
immediate marketing
 Are extremely important for roadside stands, gardens, markets,
railway stations, shipping yards, and retail stores
144
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Storage operations may be classified as

a) Traditional Storage Methods (Natural storage method)
b) Modern Storage Methods
Traditional Storage Methods
 Keeps the produce in situ without any treatment
 Vegetables such as potato, yam, sweet potato, and garlic are kept
underground for several months
 They are harvested prior to the rainy season for a better market
price
 This storage does not involve extra expenditure or buildings for
storage 145
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Storage rooms and methods not requiring refrigeration include:

in situ, sand, coir, pits, clamps, windbreaks, cellars, barns,
evaporative cooling, and night ventilation

Traditional potato clamp in Britain

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 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
Modern Storage Methods
 There are various techniques and methods to store fruits and
vegetables safely
 Refrigerated storage
 Cold storage
 Controlled atmospheric storage
Refrigerated storage
 Makes possible the marketing of perishable fruits and vegetables
beyond their harvest season
 Most fruits and vegetables are available year-round to consumers
due to refrigerated storage 147
 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Most storage facilities use mechanical refrigeration to control the

desired temperature
 The principle of refrigeration is to take out heat
 This system utilizes the fact that a liquid absorbs heat as it changes
to gas
 A common mechanical refrigeration system uses a refrigerant such
as ammonia or Freon
 Where vapor can be easily recaptured by a compressor

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 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables
 The refrigerant passes through an expansion valve where its
pressure drops and liquid evaporates at temperatures low enough
to be effective in removing heat from the storage area

Simplified Schematic Drawing of Refrigeration Cycle 149

 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Heat needed for evaporation comes from the fruits and vegetables to
be cooled
 The evaporator is located in the storage room
 The gas is repressurized by the compressor and then passed through
a condenser where it is cooled to a liquid
 The condenser is located outside the storage area and it rejects heat
 The capacity of a refrigeration system is based upon total heat inputs
to a storage area
 Heat inputs include:

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 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

1. Heat conducted through walls, floor, and ceiling

2. Field and respiration heat of fruits and vegetables
3. Heat from air infiltration
4. Heat from equipment such as lights, fans, forklifts, and personnel
moving in and out
Cold storage
 In cold store, the temperature control is very important
 An ideal environment condition for fresh fruits and vegetables in
storage is the lowest temperature ~ which does not cause chilling
injury to the produce
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 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Relative humidity of the store rooms, also has a considerable

bearing on the keeping quality of the horticultural produce
 It is very difficult to control the moisture in air
 A small temperature difference between the cooling coil and the
stored products is required to maintain an adequate control of RH in
storage room
 In order to increase the RH, water may be sprayed into the
controlled storage chamber

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Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

Controlled atmospheric storage

 Is the most important innovation in fruit and vegetable
storage since the introduction of mechanical refrigeration
 To reduce the produce losses during refrigerated storage, it is
important to maximize all the potentialities of this method
 Maintaining of high level of CO2 and low level of 02, is one of
the most significant contribution to the storage technology
 Carbon dioxide played the dominant role, which is why the
method is also called the “carbon dioxide preservation method’’

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 Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 When combined with refrigeration, it markedly retards the

respiratory activity and may delay
 Softening
 Yellowing
 Quality changes
 Other deteriorative processes
 Many investigations have shown that the basic advantages of fruit
preservation in a controlled atmosphere are as follows
 The so-called low-temperature diseases are prevented
during refrigeration
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Post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables

 Infestation of fruits by other physiological diseases frequently is

reduced
 The taste and aroma fruits are better preserved
 The consistency of fruits is maintained for longer periods
 The fruit losses in the controlled atmosphere are reduced by
half to one third

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