Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Photo 16.4.
The range and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables offered in the european markets are
enormous.
the price paid by the consumers and in North
America around 21% (Wijnands, 2003).
value on fresh fruits and vegetables as a
healthy and natural food (Photo 16.5).
Many of the qualitative attributes of
fresh horticultural products are subjec-
tive, which makes their evaluation even
more complex. The consumer usually
judges the quality of a product by its exter-
nal appearance and, if there is no other
information (different production meth-
ods, differentiating labels), will deduce
that a product with a good appearance
will have a good internal quality. The col-
our, the size, the uniformity and the
absence of defects are basic aspects of the
appearance, together with a good presen-
tation, in proper packages that contain a
standardized product.
The food safety and hygiene in the
production process demanded by the con-
sumer have made necessary the establish-
ment of rigorous production protocols
(which specify growing methods, traceabil-
ity, etc.) that guarantee the healthiness of
the products.
Transport over long distances in some
cases means that some vegetables are har-
vested before the commercial ripening point;
so that when they reach the consumer they
are in a suboptimal organoleptic condition.
16.7
Quality
The quality is the set of properties and char-
acteristics of a product, process or service
that grant its aptitude to satisfy established
or implicit needs.
The quality is a combination of
attributes, properties or characteristics that
provide the product value, depending on
the destined use. The appearance, the tex-
ture, the firmness, the organoleptic charac-
teristics and the nutritional value are
components of the quality. The relative
importance of each component of the qual-
ity depends on the product and how it is
consumed, varying among growers, distrib-
utors and consumers. For the grower, a
product must provide high yields and have
a good appearance, be easy to grow and
have a good resistance to transportation,
whereas for the wholesaler the qualitative
attributes of appearance, firmness and shelf
life prevail. In addition, the consumer val-
ues the healthiness and the nutritional
value. In general, consumers place a high
