Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 13
Postharvest Care and the Treatment of Fruits
and Vegetables
Peter M. A. Toivonen, Elizabeth J. Mitcham and Leon A. Terry
Abstract This chapter describes existing postharvest care of fruits and vegetables
in both the developing and developed economies of the world. Food waste is the
metric which reveals the success or failure of the existing postharvest care. Figures
vary depending on the source and the assumptions made to arrive at the estimated
waste values but all agree that fruit and vegetable waste is at least 30 % of the
production. Reasons for losses in the developing economies of the world relate to
lack of basic postharvest technologies and access to adequate and reliable cooling.
However, there are many societal issues that also impact on successful distribution
of fruits and vegetables in developing economies. In developed economies, waste is
associated at the distribution/retail/consumer levels and the underlying reasons for
these losses are not so much the lack of or access to technology, rather to structure
and function of the marketing chain. Capability to store product longer or transport
it further does not necessarily lead to lower losses, however it does lead to greater
distribution of availability over time or over distance. Consumer behavior and psy-
chology play a significant role in waste at both the retail and home levels. While
there continues to be numerous challenges for postharvest care of fruits and veg-
etables, the chapter provides some insight to the directions that must be followed
to reduce wastage and enhance the availability of good quality, nutritious fruits and
vegetable to all in developing and developed economies.
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