Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
16.12.2 VAPOR HEAT TREATMENT (VHT)
This treatment proved very effective in controlling infection of fruit flies
in fruits after harvest. For this treatment, the boxes containing fruits are
stacked in a room, which are heated and humidified by injection of steam.
The temperature and exposure time are adjusted to kill all stages of insects
(egg, larva, pupa and adult), but fruit should not be damaged. A recom-
mended treatment for citrus, mangoes, papaya and pineapple is 43°C in
saturated air for 8 h and then holding the temperature for further 6 h. VHT
is mandatory for export of mangoes
16.13 CONCLUSION
In past, there were several chemicals in use for post harvest treatment of
fruits, but due to advancement in technology, health consciousness of con-
sumers and environmental concern has phased out these chemicals with
the adoptions of improved ones. In last couple of years, some environmen-
tal and consumer friendly post harvest treatment materials like nitric ox-
ide (NO), salicylic acid, methyl jasmonates (MeJA), ethanol, polyamines,
1-Methylcyclopropane, ozone, edible waxes, essential oils, biocontrol
agents irradiation and thermal treatment are gaining popularity across the
globe.
KEYWORDS
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1-Methylcyclopropene
•
Biocontrol Agents
•
Ecofriendly treatments
•
Edible Coatings
•
Essential Oils
•
Fruit Attributes
•
Polyamines
•
Postharvest Quality
