Postharvest Biology and Technology – serie

The ultimate goal of crop production is to provide quality produce to consumers at reasonable rates. Most fresh produce is highly perishable, and postharvest losses are significant under the present methods of management in many countries. However, significant achievements have been made during the last few years to curtail postharvest losses in fresh produce and to ensure food security and safety as well. These include advancements in breeding horticultural crops for quality improvement; postharvest physiology; postharvest pathology and entomology; postharvest management of fruits, vegetables, and flowers; nondestructive technologies to assess produce quality; minimal processing of fruits and vegetables; as well as innovations in packaging and storage technology of fresh produce. This new book, Postharvest Biology and Technology of Horticultural Crops: Principles and Practices for Quality Maintenance, describes the above-mentioned advancements in postharvest quality improvement of fresh horticultural produce. This book will be a standard reference work for postharvest management for the fresh produce industry. It presents important new advances that will extend the shelf life of fresh produce by retaining its safety and nutritional or sensory quality.The book covers a multitude of topics, particularly advances in: • Conventional breeding approaches for fruits and vegetables• Storage of fruits and vegetables• Postharvest treatment and smart packaging • Management of pests and other postharvest diseases• Postharvest management of fresh-cut flowers• Management of medicinal and aromatic plants during postharvest• Biotechnological methods for postharvest management

This book presents several pre- and postharvest strategies that have been developed to modify these physiological activities, resulting in increased shelf life. The book also discusses the best technologies that positively influence quality attributes of the produce, including senescenal changes and, afterwards, the consumers’ decision to purchase the product in the marketplace. With contributions from experts with experience in both developed and developing regions, the book includes chapters covering thorough discussions on postharvest management strategies of fresh horticultural commodities.

Stored products of agriculture and animal origin are attacked by more than 600 species of beetles, 70 species of moths, and about 355 species of mites, causing huge quantitative and qualitative losses and insect contamination in food commodities. This is an important quality control problem. This book, Insect Pests of Stored Grain: Biology, Behavior, and Management Strategies, provides comprehensive coverage of stored product entomology for the sustainable management of insects and other noninsect pests, such as mites, birds, rodents, and fungi, with the aim to mitigate and eliminate these losses of food from grains. The author, who has studied sustainable and herbal management of stored grain and seed insect pests in his research, considers sustainable management of stored grain insect pests and eco-friendly approaches along with the utilization of waste materials. Starting with a history of stored product entomology from the beginning to the modern era in detail along with an introduction of storage entomology, the book then goes on to cover a range of important issues, including Significant developments in the field of storage entomologyClassification and identification of important stored grain insectsMajor stored product coleopteran and lepidopteran insects that infest stored commoditiesEstimation of losses caused by stored grain insect pests Factors responsible for infestation of stored grain insectsDifferent storage structuresAlternative methods for the management of stored grain insects by utilization of behavior modification techniques or utilization of secondary metabolites of plantsFumigation of stored grains for the protection of infestation Insect Pests of Stored Grain: Biology, Behavior, and Management Strategies covers a vast amount of valuable information on stored product entomology for the sustainable management of insects and other noninsect pests.

This volume addresses the challenges of the short shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Innovative packaging technologies are the most promising strategies for overcoming these limitations. This book provides a host of sustainable packaging solutions that deliver protection, branding, consumer attractiveness, and speed to market in a competitive retail environment.Key features of the book:• Provides an informative overview of fruit and vegetable requirements and available packaging materials and systems• Provides an understanding of the fundamentals of the impact of packaging on the quality and safety of fruits and vegetables• Covers the fundamental aspects of packaging requirements, including mathematical modeling and mechanical and engineering properties of packaging materials• Presents an in-depth discussion of innovative packaging technologies, such as MA/CA packaging, active packaging, intelligent packaging, and eco-friendly materials applied to fruit and vegetables• Looks at packaging design for better environmental and economic performance

This book presents a selection of innovative postharvest management practices for vegetables. It covers technologies in harvesting, handling, and storage of vegetables, including strategies for low-temperature storage of vegetables, active and smart packaging of vegetables, edible coatings, application of nanotechnology in postharvest technology of vegetable crops, and more. It considers most of the important areas of vegetable processing while maintaining nutritional quality and addressing safety issues.Fruits and vegetables are important sources of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, which provide many health benefits. However, due to poor postharvest management—such as non-availability of cold chain management and low-cost processing facilities, large quantities of vegetables perish before they reach the consumer. Furthermore, higher temperatures in some regions also contribute to an increased level of postharvest losses. With chapters written by experts in the postharvest handling of vegetable, this volume addresses these challenges. It is devoted to presenting both new and innovative technologies as well as advancements in traditional technologies.

This volume takes an eco-friendly approach to examining the advantages of using plant food by-products as food additives and nutraceuticals, turning solid wastes into value-added items. The chapters, written by researchers and professionals working in the plant food industry, look at ways to make effective use of plant by-products by harnessing the power of the antimicrobial and nutraceutical power of plant and herb extracts. The measures and techniques discussed here will also help to improve the economics of processing crops. The chapter authors cover a range of issues, including the economic and environmental benefits of utilizing plant food by-products, extraction technologies, plant tissues as a source of nutraceutical compounds, and more.

Focusing on new technological interventions involved in the postharvest management of fruits, this volume looks at the research on maintaining the quality of fruits from farm to table. The volume examines the factors that contribute to shortening shelf life as well as innovative solutions to maintaining quality while increasing the length of time fruit remains fresh, nutritious, and edible. The volume considers the different needs of the diversity of fruits and covers a variety of important topics, including:• factors affecting the postharvest quality of fruits• microbial spoilage• decontamination of fruits by non-thermal technologies• new kinds of packaging and edible coatings• ozone as shelf-life extender of fruits.Emerging Technologies for Shelf-Life Enhancement of Fruits considers the fundamental issues and will be an important reference on shelf-life extension of fruits. Highlighting the trends in future research and development, it will provide food technologists, food engineers, and food industry professionals with new insight for prolonging the shelf life of fruits.

Here is an abundance of valuable information on different sensing techniques for fruits and vegetables. The volume covers emerging technologies, such as NMR, MRI, wireless sensor networks (WSN), and radio-frequency identification (RFID) and their potential for industrial applications.Key features of the volume:• Provides an inclusive review of the developments of sensors for quality analysis and inspection of fresh fruits and vegetables• Fosters an understanding of the basic sensing techniques for quality assessment of fresh fruits and vegetables• Covers advanced sensing technologies, including computer vision, spectroscopy, X-rays, magnetic resonance, mechanical contact, wireless sensor networks, and radio-frequency identification sensors• Reviews the significant progress in sensor development of noninvasive techniques for quality assessment of fruits and vegetables

This new volume shares a plethora of valuable information on the recent advances in packaging and storage technologies used for quality preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables. This book, with chapters from eminent researchers in the field, covers several essential aspects of packaging and storage methods and techniques generally used in fruit and vegetables. Important considerations on selection and characteristics of packaging materials, new packaging methods, storage hygiene and sanitation issues along with recent trends in storage technology are discussed in this volume.Key features:Provides an inclusive overview of fruit and vegetable requirements and available packaging materials and storage systemsImparts an understanding of the fundamentals of the impact of packaging on the evolution of quality and safety of fruits and vegetablesIncludes examples of mathematical modeling and mechanical and engineering properties of packaging materialsProvides an in-depth discussion of innovative packaging and storage technologies, such as MA/CA packaging, active packaging, intelligent packaging, eco-friendly materials, etc., applied to fruit and vegetablesPackaging and Storage of Fruits and Vegetables: Emerging Trends will be useful for graduate and postgraduate students and teaching professionals of horticultural science, food science and technology, packaging technology etc. It will also provide valuable scientific information to the academic scientific research community as well as to the packaging and storage industries for preservation of quality characteristics of fruits and vegetables. The professional community involved in handling processing and commercialization of horticultural crops will benefit as well.

This book presents a selection of innovative postharvest management practices for vegetables. It covers technologies in harvesting, handling, and storage of vegetables, including strategies for low-temperature storage of vegetables, active and smart packaging of vegetables, edible coatings, application of nanotechnology in postharvest technology of vegetable crops, and more. It considers most of the important areas of vegetable processing while maintaining nutritional quality and addressing safety issues.Fruits and vegetables are important sources of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, which provide many health benefits. However, due to poor postharvest management—such as non-availability of cold chain management and low-cost processing facilities, large quantities of vegetables perish before they reach the consumer. Furthermore, higher temperatures in some regions also contribute to an increased level of postharvest losses. With chapters written by experts in the postharvest handling of vegetable, this volume addresses these challenges. It is devoted to presenting both new and innovative technologies as well as advancements in traditional technologies.

This volume takes an eco-friendly approach to examining the advantages of using plant food by-products as food additives and nutraceuticals, turning solid wastes into value-added items. The chapters, written by researchers and professionals working in the plant food industry, look at ways to make effective use of plant by-products by harnessing the power of the antimicrobial and nutraceutical power of plant and herb extracts. The measures and techniques discussed here will also help to improve the economics of processing crops. The chapter authors cover a range of issues, including the economic and environmental benefits of utilizing plant food by-products, extraction technologies, plant tissues as a source of nutraceutical compounds, and more.

This volume addresses the challenges of the short shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Innovative packaging technologies are the most promising strategies for overcoming these limitations. This book provides a host of sustainable packaging solutions that deliver protection, branding, consumer attractiveness, and speed to market in a competitive retail environment.Key features of the book:• Provides an informative overview of fruit and vegetable requirements and available packaging materials and systems• Provides an understanding of the fundamentals of the impact of packaging on the quality and safety of fruits and vegetables• Covers the fundamental aspects of packaging requirements, including mathematical modeling and mechanical and engineering properties of packaging materials• Presents an in-depth discussion of innovative packaging technologies, such as MA/CA packaging, active packaging, intelligent packaging, and eco-friendly materials applied to fruit and vegetables• Looks at packaging design for better environmental and economic performance

The ultimate goal of crop production is to provide quality produce to consumers at reasonable rates. Most fresh produce is highly perishable, and postharvest losses are significant under the present methods of management in many countries. However, significant achievements have been made during the last few years to curtail postharvest losses in fresh produce and to ensure food security and safety as well. These include advancements in breeding horticultural crops for quality improvement; postharvest physiology; postharvest pathology and entomology; postharvest management of fruits, vegetables, and flowers; nondestructive technologies to assess produce quality; minimal processing of fruits and vegetables; as well as innovations in packaging and storage technology of fresh produce. This new book, Postharvest Biology and Technology of Horticultural Crops: Principles and Practices for Quality Maintenance, describes the above-mentioned advancements in postharvest quality improvement of fresh horticultural produce. This book will be a standard reference work for postharvest management for the fresh produce industry. It presents important new advances that will extend the shelf life of fresh produce by retaining its safety and nutritional or sensory quality.The book covers a multitude of topics, particularly advances in: • Conventional breeding approaches for fruits and vegetables• Storage of fruits and vegetables• Postharvest treatment and smart packaging • Management of pests and other postharvest diseases• Postharvest management of fresh-cut flowers• Management of medicinal and aromatic plants during postharvest• Biotechnological methods for postharvest management

Focusing on new technological interventions involved in the postharvest management of fruits, this volume looks at the research on maintaining the quality of fruits from farm to table. The volume examines the factors that contribute to shortening shelf life as well as innovative solutions to maintaining quality while increasing the length of time fruit remains fresh, nutritious, and edible. The volume considers the different needs of the diversity of fruits and covers a variety of important topics, including:• factors affecting the postharvest quality of fruits• microbial spoilage• decontamination of fruits by non-thermal technologies• new kinds of packaging and edible coatings• ozone as shelf-life extender of fruits.Emerging Technologies for Shelf-Life Enhancement of Fruits considers the fundamental issues and will be an important reference on shelf-life extension of fruits. Highlighting the trends in future research and development, it will provide food technologists, food engineers, and food industry professionals with new insight for prolonging the shelf life of fruits.

This book presents several pre- and postharvest strategies that have been developed to modify these physiological activities, resulting in increased shelf life. The book also discusses the best technologies that positively influence quality attributes of the produce, including senescenal changes and, afterwards, the consumers’ decision to purchase the product in the marketplace. With contributions from experts with experience in both developed and developing regions, the book includes chapters covering thorough discussions on postharvest management strategies of fresh horticultural commodities.

Stored products of agriculture and animal origin are attacked by more than 600 species of beetles, 70 species of moths, and about 355 species of mites, causing huge quantitative and qualitative losses and insect contamination in food commodities. This is an important quality control problem. This book, Insect Pests of Stored Grain: Biology, Behavior, and Management Strategies, provides comprehensive coverage of stored product entomology for the sustainable management of insects and other noninsect pests, such as mites, birds, rodents, and fungi, with the aim to mitigate and eliminate these losses of food from grains. The author, who has studied sustainable and herbal management of stored grain and seed insect pests in his research, considers sustainable management of stored grain insect pests and eco-friendly approaches along with the utilization of waste materials. Starting with a history of stored product entomology from the beginning to the modern era in detail along with an introduction of storage entomology, the book then goes on to cover a range of important issues, including Significant developments in the field of storage entomologyClassification and identification of important stored grain insectsMajor stored product coleopteran and lepidopteran insects that infest stored commoditiesEstimation of losses caused by stored grain insect pests Factors responsible for infestation of stored grain insectsDifferent storage structuresAlternative methods for the management of stored grain insects by utilization of behavior modification techniques or utilization of secondary metabolites of plantsFumigation of stored grains for the protection of infestation Insect Pests of Stored Grain: Biology, Behavior, and Management Strategies covers a vast amount of valuable information on stored product entomology for the sustainable management of insects and other noninsect pests.

This new volume shares a plethora of valuable information on the recent advances in packaging and storage technologies used for quality preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables. This book, with chapters from eminent researchers in the field, covers several essential aspects of packaging and storage methods and techniques generally used in fruit and vegetables. Important considerations on selection and characteristics of packaging materials, new packaging methods, storage hygiene and sanitation issues along with recent trends in storage technology are discussed in this volume.Key features:Provides an inclusive overview of fruit and vegetable requirements and available packaging materials and storage systemsImparts an understanding of the fundamentals of the impact of packaging on the evolution of quality and safety of fruits and vegetablesIncludes examples of mathematical modeling and mechanical and engineering properties of packaging materialsProvides an in-depth discussion of innovative packaging and storage technologies, such as MA/CA packaging, active packaging, intelligent packaging, eco-friendly materials, etc., applied to fruit and vegetablesPackaging and Storage of Fruits and Vegetables: Emerging Trends will be useful for graduate and postgraduate students and teaching professionals of horticultural science, food science and technology, packaging technology etc. It will also provide valuable scientific information to the academic scientific research community as well as to the packaging and storage industries for preservation of quality characteristics of fruits and vegetables. The professional community involved in handling processing and commercialization of horticultural crops will benefit as well.

Here is an abundance of valuable information on different sensing techniques for fruits and vegetables. The volume covers emerging technologies, such as NMR, MRI, wireless sensor networks (WSN), and radio-frequency identification (RFID) and their potential for industrial applications.Key features of the volume:• Provides an inclusive review of the developments of sensors for quality analysis and inspection of fresh fruits and vegetables• Fosters an understanding of the basic sensing techniques for quality assessment of fresh fruits and vegetables• Covers advanced sensing technologies, including computer vision, spectroscopy, X-rays, magnetic resonance, mechanical contact, wireless sensor networks, and radio-frequency identification sensors• Reviews the significant progress in sensor development of noninvasive techniques for quality assessment of fruits and vegetables

Postharvest environmental conditions of fruits and vegetables significantly affect quality and shelf life. Bioengineering fruits and vegetables, however, can enhance their value and durability. This book addresses the issues related to postharvest losses in fruits and vegetable crops using cutting-edge technologies, bringing together the most recent developments, such as gene overexpression approaches (enzymes, transcriptional factors, or combinatorial engineering), promoter engineering, enhancing postharvest stability (shelf life), epigenetic regulation, antioxidant-regulated expression, metabolic engineering, and regulation of postharvest pathogen infection and decay using biotechnological tools and much more. The book throws light on the current status as well as future prospects in this field as well.

Among the many technologies available to extend the shelf life of food products, ozone technology has proven to be a highly effective sterilization technique. This new volume presents the myriad uses of ozone in the food industry, exploring and providing in-depth knowledge and understanding of the use of gaseous ozone and ozonated water treatments against bacteria, virus, fungus, and stored-product insects for ensuring food safety and for food quality retention. The volume looks at recent applications of ozone in several areas within the food sector, including horticultural produce, cereals, meat products, dairy products, and seafood.

With the rise in population and an increase in endemic diseases, food that is fresh, healthy, affordable, and safe is the need of the hour. Effective postharvest handling and management that emphasizes quality retainment of produce ensures this. This new book, Sustainable Approaches in Postharvest Handling and Management, presents new research on sustainable postharvest handling and management techniques for fresh produce with quality, safety, and self-life extension.This volume provides a thorough review of sustainable postharvest methods, along with information on the newest techniques, inventions, and technologies that can reduce food waste and loss while maintaining the freshness and nutritional content of produce. The book discusses a wide range of topics on sustainable postharvest methods such as irradiation, ozone, cold plasma, electrolyzed water, etc. A chapter on the use of edible coatings for shelf-life extension of fresh produce is presented. Quality detection through non-destructive techniques and electronic nose is also included. The book also covers novel advances such as the integration of blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) in the fresh food supply chain to regain public trust by improving transparency and real-time visibility. The socioeconomic and environmental impacts of postharvest losses are addressed as well.The volume also considers the rising energy demands of developing countries and presents information on reducing fossil energy consumption and improving product quality through the use of sustainable energy as the primary or supplemental energy for postharvest operations, which could lessen the environmental effect of these activities.This book will serve as a valuable resource for researchers, students, farmers, food processors, and policymakers who are committed to building a more sustainable and equitable food system. The editors believe that by working together, we can create a future where fresh produce is accessible to all and its production and consumption have a minimal negative impact on the environment.

Here is a comprehensive resource on all aspects related to mango, one of the most beloved and economically significant tropical fruits globally. This book provides a thorough exploration of the multifaceted world of mango, covering postharvest science, production practices, nutritional aspects, and cutting-edge processing technologies. This 700-page handbook first begins with mango cultivation and production, varietal diversity of mangos, and sustainable approaches to mango farming. Addressing the continuing demand for mangoes worldwide, the volume also takes an in-depth look at postharvest practices, delving into the intricate processes that influence the quality, shelf life, and marketability of mango fruit. From harvesting techniques to storage methods, the chapters offer valuable insights into preserving the freshness and nutritional content of mangoes from orchard to consumer.