Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
5
INTRODUCTION
Postharvest handling refers to all the steps that take place at harvest and
from harvest through to when the consumer receives the fruit (Fig. 5.1). The
goal of postharvest handling is to maintain quality. Quality is defi ned as the
absence of defects or degree of excellence and includes appearance, colour,
shape, injuries, fl avour, taste, aroma, nutritional value and being safe for the
consumer (Abbott, 1999; Shewfelt, 1999). Fruit qualities when consumed are
decided in large measure before harvest and depend upon variety grown, crop
management (fertilization, irrigation, etc.), environment (climate, soil) and
other preharvest factors. The objective of postharvest handling is to maintain
quality by preventing mechanical injury, water loss and disease development,
limiting unwanted physiological changes and preventing chemical and
microbial contamination (Cook, 1999).
Farmers, packers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers fre-
quently have dif erent perspectives with regard to quality and often place
dif erent emphasis on the dif erent components of quality. In research, quality
is related to some intrinsic character(s) (appearance, colour, acids, sugars, etc.)
and how these characters change during handling. The research data give us
information as to how a product should be handled postharvest. The data need
to be complemented with simulated shipping studies and the evaluation of the
product from initial commercial shipments.
POSTHARVEST LOSSES
During postharvest handling, losses frequently occur, referred to as shrink in
the commercial and retail trade. These losses mean a complete loss of all the
resources that went into production. Estimates of tropical fruit postharvest
losses in both developed and developing countries vary widely from 10 to
80%. The losses given in published reports highlight the total postharvest
