Post Harvesting ManagementOf Horticultural Crops

INTRODUCTION

• Horticulture plays a significant role in Indian Agriculture. It contributes 30% GDP from 11.73 % of its arable land area. India is the second largest producer of both fruits and vegetables in the world (52.85 Mt and 108.20 Mt respectively).

What is Post Harvesting Management ?• Post Harvest Management includes the

processes done immediately after harvesting the produce, including cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing. The instant a crop is removed from the ground, or separated from its parent plant, it begins to deteriorate. Therefore Postharvest treatment are given to increase its shelf life and maintain its quality. Thus post harvest management largely determines final quality.

Importance Of Post Harvesting Management

• A considerable amount of fruits and vegetables produced in India is lost due to improper post-harvest operations; as a result there is a considerable gap between the gross production and net availability. Furthermore, only a small fraction of fruits and vegetables are utilized for processing (less than 1%) and exported (Fruits – 0.5% and Vegetables – 1.7%) compared to other countries.

• Post harvest losses in fruits and vegetables are very high (20-40%). About 10-15% fresh fruits and vegetables shrivel and decay, lowering their market value and consumer acceptability. Minimizing these losses can increase their supply without bringing additional land under cultivation. Improper handling and storage cause physical damage due to tissue breakdown.

Reasons For Losses • Lack of clear concept of packing house operations. • Lack of awareness among the growers, contractors and even the

policy makers. • Lack of infrastructure. • Late realization of its importance.• Inadequate technical support. • Inadequate post-harvest quality control. • Unorganized marketing. • Absence of pre-cooling and cold storage. • Inadequate market facilities, market intelligence and market

information service (MIS) • Poor storage facilities.

Major causes of Post Harvest LossesThe causes of post-harvest losses can be divided into different categories: 1. Metabolic All fresh horticultural crops are live organs. The natural process of respiration involves the breakdown of food reserves and the aging of these organs. 2. Mechanical Owing to their tender texture and high moisture content, fresh fruits and vegetables are very susceptible to mechanical injury. Poor handling, unsuitable containers, improper packaging and transportation can easily cause bruising, cutting, breaking, impact wounding and other forms of injury. 3. Developmental These include sprouting, rooting, seed germination, which lead to deterioration in quality and nutritional value.

4. Parasitic diseases High post-harvest losses are caused by the invasion of fungi, bacteria, insects and other organisms. Micro-organisms attack fresh produce easily and spread quickly. 5. Physiological deterioration Fruits and vegetable cells are still alive after harvest and continue their physiological activity. Physiological disorders may occur due to mineral deficiency, low or high temperature injury or undesirable atmospheric conditions, such as high humidity, physiological deterioration can also occur spontaneously by enzymatic action leading to over-ripeness and senescence, a simple aging phenomenon. 6. Lack of market demand Poor planning and inaccurate production and market information may lead to over production of certain fruits or vegetables which can’t be sold in time. This situation occurs most frequently in areas where transportation and storage facilities are inadequate. Produce may lie rotting in production areas, if farmers are unable to transport it to people who need it in distant locations.

Units Operations in Post Harvest Managementof Fruits and Vegetables• Pre-harvest treatment• Harvesting at maturity• Safe harvesting• Pre-cooling and Washing• Surface drying• Cold storage• Safe Transport• Safe Handling

Post Harvest Handling of some Horticultural crops

APPLE

Post Harvest Handling apple includes:• 1. Selection of varietyThe phrase ‘Post Harvest Handling’ is something of a misleading statement because, as every grower knows, post harvest handling starts not at harvest, but at the very beginning of production, when the varieties of fruits and vegetables to be produced are selected. The choice of apple variety – with natural characteristics for long storage life and resistance to transport damage – are as important as any work or process that is carried out in an orchard before harvest, during the harvest, or whilst handling or storing crops after harvest.• 2. Orchard Management Apple quality and the length of post harvest or marketing life of apples, (ie the number of weeks apples will remain in good condition), are both significantly affected by production activities that take place in orchards in the months and weeks before harvest.• 3. Fruit Management During and after HarvestGentle care and attention provided for apples during harvest, transport, storage and packing is crucial to: • the length of good quality marketing life that can be achieved, • the ease with which fruit can be sold • the price which it will achieve.

Value added products made from apple

BANANA

• Bananas are harvested all year round. Fruit is harvested, packed and marketed while still green.

• Ripening is usually done at the wholesale markets.

• Harvesting bananas is hard work and involves carrying heavy bunches, which often weigh more than 50 kg, to field trailers. Particular care and training is needed to avoid injuries to workers and damage to the fruit.

• Care needs to be taken to avoid bruising the fruit between harvest and market. Always use padding to protect bunches during transport to the packing shed. Specially designed bunch trailers are generally used.

• Bananas deteriorate rapidly in hot sun, reducing their shelf life. They should be harvested quickly and kept shaded while in the field. It is best to cool the fruit quickly by getting packed fruit to cold rooms as soon as possible, but ensure that the fruit does not cool below 14°C.

• Three key tips for harvesting:

1)Harvest the fruit during the cool part of the day when possible.

2)Shade the fruit during transport to the packing shed.

3)Avoid delays in transporting the fruit to the packing shed.a

Value added products made from banana.

MANGO

Post harvest handling of Mango

• Mangos picked before their optimum maturity may eventually ripen, but will develop inferior flavor and aroma, show increased susceptibility to chilling injury caused by low temperatures during transport, and have shortened shelf life.

• Fruit selection: Selection of the appropriate fruit maturity can be based on several parameters, including fruit shape, peel color, peel texture, flesh firmness, flesh color development, soluble solids content, and latex content.

• Fruit accumulation process.• Direct exposure to sunlight results in higher flesh

temperatures, which in turn accelerate metabolism and shorten potential shelf life.

• Latex removal procedure: 1)Harvest mangos with a long stem (5 cm or longer) and accumulate the fruit in field boxes. Latex does not drip from fruit with a long stem attached. 2) 2. Trim stems to the abscission zone (approximately 1 cm) and immediately place the fruit with the stem end down to allow latex to drip without touching the fruit’s peel. • When possible, ship mangos during cooler hours of the day.• Then they are stored• Cleaning.• Sanitation• PackingNote: The lowest safe temperature for long-term exposure (2 weeks or more) of mature, green mangos is 12°C (54°F); immature fruit can be injured even at temperatures above 12°C.

Products made from Mango

OKRA(Lady finger)

PRE-HARVEST HANDLING OF OKRA • Okra is harvested in 60 to 70 days after planting when pods

are 2 to 3 inches long. At this stage the pods are still tender.• Okra grows very fast, it should be harvested every two days.

The pods should not be allowed to mature on the plant because this will inhibit more pods from developing and reduce the productivity of plant.

• Handling of okra should be done carefully because the pods bruise easily.

POST HARVEST HANDLING AND STORAGE• Okra has a short storage life.• A fresh good pod can be stored for 7-10 days at 7-10 C

temperature and 90-95% relative humidity.• At temperatures below 7 C Okra is subjected to chilling

injury, which results in surface discoloration, pitting and decay.

Value added products made from Okra

POTATO

PRE-HARVEST HANDLING OF POTATO• Physiological maturity: Crop development stage in which leaves acquire yellow colour,

become brittle and begin to dry off the same as foliage. The tubers can separate stolons and their peel presents certain resistance to come off when pressing it with fingers.

• Commercial maturity: Around 15 to 20 days after the plant is completely dry. The tubers are denser and their peel doesn't come off. The crop for consumption should be harvested when it has reached the commercial maturity. For seed, production is advisable to harvest prematurely, accelerating the process of maturity by means of foliage elimination.

POST HARVEST HANDLING Sorting: During sorting, ground, stones, vegetal wastes, cut or rotten tubers are separated.

Sorting of harvested tubers consists of selecting tubers that show symptoms of plague or illness. Sorting is achieved manually or with sorting machines.

Grading: Grading refers to the process of classifying tubers according to its size. The size of grading tubers will agree with the specifications dictated by seed potato standards of each country.

Cleaning : cleaning of potatoes are done either manually or by heavy machine washers. Packaging: For potato conservation, whether under refrigeration or by using sprouting

inhibitors, it is necessary to utilize packages that allow good air circulation and easy handling.

• When air temperature is 32°C or higher, it is not advisable to dry potatoes. Air temperature of 26.5°C or less is correct.

• It is recommended not to expose potatoes to air and sun for more than 15 minutes on days when temperatures hover near 32°C in shade.

Value added product made from Potato.

BROCCOLI

• Broccoli is rich in health promoting compound such as Ascorbic acid.• Broccoli is a highly perishable vegetable that senesces quickly after harvest. Thus its post harvest life is quite short due to yellowing, softening, water loss, decay and off-odor incidences.• The green color of broccoli is an important quality for consumers.

POST HARVEST HANDLING OF BROCCOLI

• MAP: (modified atmosphere packaging) is a technique used for prolonging the postharvest life of fresh fruits and vegetable.

• Storage of broccoli in MAP reduced weight loss and respiration rate , maintained ascorbic acid , total antioxidant activity, glucosinolate contents and visual quality of broccoli.

• Color measurement.

Products made from Broccoli

Thank you !!!Presentation given by : Sana Umar