Crop Post-Harvest: Science and Technology, Volume 3: Perishables

by Debbie Rees (Editor), Graham Farrell (Editor), John Orchard (Editor)

Overview

International trade in high value perishables has grown enormously in the past few decades. In the developed world consumers now expect to be able to eat perishable produce from all parts of the world, and in most cases throughout the year. Perishable plant products are, however, susceptible to physical damage and often have a potential storage life of only a few days.

Given their key importance in the world economy, Crop Post-Harvest Science and Technology: Perishables devotes itself to perishable produce, providing current and comprehensive knowledge on all the key factors affecting post-harvest quality of fruits and vegetables. This volume focuses explicitly on the effects and causes of deterioration, as well as the many techniques and practices implemented to maintain quality though correct handling and storage. As highlighted throughout, regular losses caused by post-harvest spoilage of perishable products can be as much as 50%. A complete understanding, as provided by this excellent volume, is therefore vital in helping to reduce these losses by a significant percentage.

Compiled by members of the world-renowned Natural Resources Institute at the United Kingdom's University of Greenwich, with contributions from experts around the world, this volume is an essential reference for all those working in the area. Researchers and upper-level students in food science, food technology, post-harvest science and technology, crop protection, applied biology and plant and agricultural sciences will benefit from this landmark publication. Libraries in all research establishments and universities where these subjects are studied and taught should ensure that they have several copies for their shelves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781444354638
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	01/30/2012
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	464
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

About the Editors

Debbie Rees and John Orchard are based at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, U.K. Graham Farrell is a technical writer and editor specialising in plant health and analysis.

Table of Contents

Contributors x

1 Introduction 1
Debbie Rees

Perishable plant products 1

Fruits 1

Nutritional quality of perishable plant produce 2

Post-harvest technology and the expansion of international trade in high-value perishables 2

Post-harvest technology, food supply and income generation in developing economies 3

2 Tomatoes 5
Elhadi M. Yahia and Jeffrey K. Brecht

Introduction 5

Post-harvest physiology and fruit quality 5

Post-harvest practices and problems 12

Future challenges or developments 17

3 Bananas (Musa spp.) 24
David W. Turner and Jeanie A. Fortescue

Introduction 24

Post-harvest physiology and management of bananas 25

Conclusions 38

4 Citrus 43
Lise Korsten and Peter Taverner

Introduction 43

Physiology of citrus fruits 45

Physiological disorders 48

Citrus post-harvest diseases 49

Minor decays 69

Disease control 69

Citrus handling practices 72

Food safety 77

Summary 78

5 Apples 88
John Golding and Jenny Jobling

Apple fruit anatomy 89

Apple physiology, maturity and ripening 91

Nutritional value and human health 95

Pre-harvest factors affecting storage 95

The effect of varieties and rootstock on quality and post-harvest storage 97

Storage and handling 97

Apple trends and conclusions 102

6 Mango 108
Zora Singh and Sukhvinder Pal Singh

Introduction 108

Maturity indices 109

Changes during ripening 111

Ripening conditions 115

Post-harvest handling and storage 116

Post-harvest disorders 122

Post-harvest insect pest disinfestation 126

Post-harvest diseases 129

Future research 132

7 Pineapple 143
Nimal Adikaram and Charmalie Abayasekara

Introduction 143

Fruit composition 143

Fruit development and physiology 144

Post-harvest handling 145

Post-harvest diseases and disorders 147

8 Avocado 159
Elhadi M. Yahia

Introduction 159

Fruit development 161

Compositional changes during fruit development, and the nutritional and health value of avocado fruit 162

Quality components and indices 164

Major causes of post-harvest losses 164

Physiological disorders and their control 165

Diseases 166

Insect pests 169

Quarantine treatments 170

Maturity and harvesting indices 171

Harvesting 172

Post-harvest handling 173

Packing and packaging 173

Cooling and storage 174

Pre-storage treatments 175

Modified (MA) and controlled atmospheres (CA) 175

Ripening 178

Irradiation 179

9 Grapes 187
Christian Chervin, Julia Aked and Carlos H. Crisosto

Introduction, botany, cultivation and product statistics 187

Morphology and physiology 188

Post-harvest technology for wine and juice grapes 193

Post-harvest technology for dried grapes 195

Post-harvest technology for table grapes 197

10 Stone Fruit 212
Carlos H. Crisosto and Kevin R. Day

Introduction 212

Stone fruit physiology 213

Peach and nectarine post-harvest handling systems 213

Plum post-harvest handling systems 220

11 Soft Fruit 226
Leon A. Terry

Origins and economic importance 226

General fruit anatomy 226

Fruit development 227

Fruit ripening 228

Post-harvest handling 231

Selective gaseous atmosphere storage 232

Post-harvest disease 235

Genetic transformation 240

Conclusion 241

12 Kiwifruit, Guava, Passion Fruit and Lychee 247
Graham Farrell

Kiwifruit 247

Guava 250

Passion fruit 252

Lychee 253

13 Prickly Pear Fruit and Cladodes 264
Elhadi M. Yahia

Introduction 264

Harvestable plant parts 265

Post-harvest physiology 271

Physiological disorders 271

Diseases and rots 271

Insect pests 272

Physical damage 272

Quality characteristics and criteria 272

Packaging 273

Modified (MA) and controlled atmosphere (CA) 273

Fresh-cut 280

Summary 280

14 Cucurbits 286
Steven A. Sargent and Donald N. Maynard

Introduction to the cultivated cucurbits 286

Post-harvest physiology of cucurbits 295

Post-harvest handling 304

15 Herbs, Spices and Flavourings 317
Graham Farrell

Consumption and marketing trends 318

Post-harvest issues in herbs and spices 318

Post-harvest losses 331

16 Potatoes 334
Chris Bishop, Debbie Rees, Muhammad U. A. Cheema, Glyn Harper and Graeme Stroud

Introduction 334

Post-harvest physiology 334

Tuber storage diseases and disease prevention 339

Major post-harvest pests and diseases 339

Tuber storage 344

Post-harvest handling of potatoes 349

17 Onions, Shallots and Garlic 360
Lesley Currah, Katherine Cools and Leon A. Terry

Introduction 360

Trade in onions, shallots and garlic 361

Historical reviews and key findings 365

Onion anatomy and physiology from a storage viewpoint 366

Garlic anatomy and physiology 367

Factors affecting the post-harvest performance of onions and garlic 367

Harvesting techniques 369

Curing 370

Onion storage in cool climates: technical advances and current recommendations 370

Garlic harvesting, curing and storage 371

The physics of onion and garlic storage: influences of temperature and relative humidity 372

Chemical constituents of onions, shallots and garlic 377

Garlic storage experiments 379

Diversity of storage methods 379

Technology of onion storage 380

Onion pest and disease problems in storage and during transport 381

Garlic pathogens and pests in storage 384

Long-distance transport by ship 384

Marketing onions and garlic to consumers 384

Waste disposal 385

18 Tropical Root Crops 392
Debbie Rees, Andrew Westby, Keith Tomlins, Quirien van Oirschot, Muhammad U. A. Cheema, Eric Cornelius and Muhammad Amjad

Introduction 392

Post-harvest physiology of fresh root crops 394

Botany and physiology of cassava 394

Botany and physiology of sweet potato 396

Botany and physiology of yam 399

Storage, handling and processing of cassava 402

Storage handling and processing of sweet potato 404

Pests and diseases of sweet potato 406

Storage, handling and processing of yams 407

19 Cut Flowers 414
Daryl Joyce and John Faragher

Biology 414

Post-harvest handling practices 420

Marketing and consumption 429

Preservation 431

Conclusion 432

Index 439

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Nonetheless and taken overall, this book will be a useful resource for professionals and students with a fundamental and practical interest in the challenge to maintain the post-harvest quality of perishable horticultural products.” (Experimental Agriculture, 4 October 2012)

Editorial Reviews

Nonetheless and taken overall, this book will be a useful resource for professionals and students with a fundamental and practical interest in the challenge to maintain the post-harvest quality of perishable horticultural products.”  (Experimental Agriculture, 4 October 2012)

From the Publisher