SYSTEM APPROACH TO

POSTHARVEST HANDLING

Mantana BUANONG
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand the supply chain of fruit, vegetable &
ornamental.
2. To identify the quality and major factors affecting
quality and shelf life of postharvest fruits and
vegetables.
3. To enumerate standardization.

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To reduce these losses, producers and handlers
must understand the biological and environmental
factors involved in deterioration and use
postharvest techniques that delay senescence and
maintain the best possible quality.

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 SUPPLY CHAIN OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES &
ORNAMENTALS

Diffusion and absorption of quality expectations

Packinghouse Transport
Production Distribution Marketing Consumption
grower Packing trucker/ marketer consumer
packer distributor

Production and delivery of desired quality products

SUPPLY CHAIN is a system of organizations, people,

technology, activities, information and resources involved
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in
moving a product or service from supplier to customer.
 Orchards - Maturation
PRODUCTION - Harvesting index (GAP)

Packing POST-HARVEST HANDLING

house
Standardization
- Local standard (GMP)
- Codex (HACCP)
PROCESSING

Storage/Transportation
DISTRIBUTION
Markets/exporters/
distributers
Barriers/Traceability
CONSUMING
Consumer
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SUPPLY CHAIN MODELS OF FRESH PRODUCE
IN THAILAND

Model 1 – TRADITIONAL MODEL

Model 2 – LOCAL FOOD CORPORATION MODEL
Model 3 – MULTINATIONAL COMPANY MODEL

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1. TRADITIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN

High-end market
(supermarkets,
exporter)

Consumers

Producers Merchant/
Retailers
Middleman

Wholesale
market

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Traditional production area

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Local packing house

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Traditional transportation
(Middleman)

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Supermarket
Wholesale market

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Local retail market

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Local retail shop

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Mobile local retail car

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Mobile ready-to-eat unit

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1. TRADITIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN (CONT.)

PRODUCERS CONSUMERS

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Local floating market

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2. LOCAL FOOD CORPORATION SUPPLY
CHAIN OF FRUIT/VEGETABLES

Central Cold
Storage Transport

Distribution Centre
Packing

Supermarket
chain
Producers Packinghouse

Consumers
Contract
farms

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Green house

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Hydroponic plantation

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Field production

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Transportation

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Distribution centre

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Distribution centre

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Cold Chain Transportation

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Big Supermarkets

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3. MULTINATIONAL COMPANY SUPPLY CHAIN
OF FRUITS/VEGETABLES

Export
market
Transport
Company Consumers
farm

Packinghouse
Producers
and storage

Contract Transport Consumers

farms Domestic
market

GAP
GMP/HACCP
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Field production

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Produce collection centre

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Packing house unit

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 POSTHARVEST MANAGEMENT

AGRICULTURAL
CONSUMERS
COMMODITIES

POSTHARVEST
TECHNOLOGY

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 QUALITY

❑ Kader (1983) defined quality for fruit and

vegetables as ‘the combination of attributes or
properties that give them in terms of human
food’.

❑ Quality may be equated to meeting the

standards required by a selective customer.

❑ Although there are numerous tradition methods

for assessing quality, the only accurate
assessment of quality is the response of the
consumer.
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 FOCUS ON THE CONSUMER
QUALITY = MEETING OR EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Purchase Quality: color, firmness, size, aroma etc. 39

FACTOR AFFECTING QUALITY CHANGES IN
HORTICULTURAL COMMODITY

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Harvested produce is composed of living cells and
tissues. The producer need to maintain the
harvested produce as long as possible for
consumer acceptance.

POSTHARVEST LIFE: Period of time from harvest

until the flower or plant has lost its decorative value.
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Major factors affecting quality and shelf life of
postharvest fruits and vegetables

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https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4041/b1326e7bdbc85fb96c5c740e1dcf39ffd8b1.pdf
KEY POINTS REGARDING CULTIVARS FOR
BETTER QUALITY AND STORAGE

▪ Late harvest lowers the shelf life of fruits, while early with
poor quality and uneven ripening.
▪ Maturity indices.
▪ Nature of fruits.
▪ The purpose of which required and distance it has to be
transported. 43
▪ No damage.
 CULTIVATION AND HARVESTING SYSTEMS
- Cultivation in different seasons
- Color changes
- Natural pests and diseases
- Defects
- Harvesting procedures
- Field heat
- Harvesting methods
- Postharvest handling

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 MATURITY
Maturity can be described as the attainment of the
particular size or stage after which ripening takes place.

Maturity indices/ harvesting indices

The quality of fruits and vegetable cannot be improved
but it can be presented when harvesting is done at
proper stage of maturity. Immature fruits when
harvested will give poor quality and erratic ripening.

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At which stage of maturity a fruit should be harvested is
crucial to its subsequent storage, marketable life, and
quality.

Physiological maturity: the stage at which a commodity

has reached a sufficient stage of development after
harvesting and postharvest handling, its quality will be
at least the minimum acceptable to the consumer.

Horticultural maturity: the stage of development when

a plant or plant part possesses the prerequisites for
utilization by consumers for a particular purpose or
market requirement.

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CLIMACTERIC FRUITS, maturation is indicative of the fruit
being ready for harvest. At this point, the edible part of the
fruit or vegetable is fully developed in size, although it may
not be ready for immediate consumption. Ripening follows
or overlaps maturation, rendering the produce edible, as
indicated by texture, taste, color, and flavor.
ripening treatment is an important
operation in many climacteric fruits
before retailing

ripening treatment is not given

before retailing.
NON-CLIMACTERIC FRUITS, development of eating
quality before harvesting is indicative of the fruit being ready
for harvest. Therefore, non-climacteric fruits should be
harvested after attaining proper development of eating 47
quality (ripening) while still attached to the mother plant.
 METHOD OF HARVESTING

There are basically three methods most commonly

used for harvesting any fruits or vegetables.

(a)Harvesting individual fruits/vegetables with hand

by pulling or twisting the fruit pedicel.

(b)Harvesting individual fruits or fruit

bunch/vegetables or vegetable bunch with the
help of fruit clippers/secateurs/scissors.

(c)With harvester specially designed for harvesting.

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HARVETING FRUIT WITH HANDS BY PULLING
OR TWISTING THE FRUIT PEDICEL
• Harvester can easily pick the optimum mature
fruits. One important demerit of this method is
pulling little peel along with pedicel end renders
the fruits for quick spoilage.

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HARVETSING BY FRUIT CLIPPERS,
SECATEURS, SCISSORS
o Fruit stalk is cut close to the point of attachment
of fruit, leaving a very small portion of pedicel
attached with fruits.
o This is highly accepted and widely used in almost
all citrus fruits. Postharvest quality is found better
in this method compared to any others.

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o One important precaution should be in cutting
fruit stalk close to the fruit; otherwise, the part of
pedicel attached with fruit may puncture other
healthy fruits during subsequent handling and
marketing. 51
MECHANICAL HARVESTING
• This method is used on commercial scale and
specially designed machines are only used. Fruits
and vegetables get more damage with
harvester and quality deteriorates rapidly.
• Therefore, it is advisable to use harvester where
harvested produce are intended to use for
processing.

• This is most economic method of harvesting for

processing grade fruits and vegetables.

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 POSTHARVEST HANDLING SYSTEM
Harvest Handlings Clean by tap water,
then hydro cooling
Preferably harvested at at 10 C to remove
early morning field heat

Shade the harvested Use only cleaned

products in the field to packing or transport
keep them cool. containers

Storage at 5-13C to
Move into a cold prolong shelf life and
grading&packing house maintain good quality.
at 25C 54
POSTHARVEST HANDLING SYSTEM OF
MADARIN ORANGE IN CHAINGMAI

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A: weighting
B: sorting
C: cleaning (Change
cleaning water twice a
day)
D-F: brushing,
cleaning with soap

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G: drying
H: waxing (canuba wax)
I: grading
J: labelling
K-H: separating

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M-N: packing

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 STANDARDIZATION
❑ Local Standards
Different areas, different standards
❑ International Standards
- Non Tariff Barriers ; NTBs
- Technical Barriers to Trade/Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures (TBT/SPS )
- Harmonization
- Equivalence
- Risk Assessment
- Transparency
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THAILAND TRADEMARK FOR FOOD SAFETY

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 INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
Codex
❑ The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created
in 1963 by FAO (Food and Agriculture
Organization) and WHO (World Health
Organization) to develop food standards,
guidelines and related texts such as codes of
practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food
Standards Program.

▪ Health protection
▪ Fair trade practice

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 FOOD SAFETY
▪ Nowadays, produce fruits and vegetables from
farms to consumer need to be in the good
condition.
▪ Not only the product needs to be fresh (using
postharvest techniques), but also safe.
▪ Thus food safety control has been established in
most departments or countries.

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GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE (GAP)
❑ Good Agricultural Practices are guidelines
established to ensure a clean and safe working
environment for all employees while eliminating
the potential for contamination of food
products.

❑ GAP program addresses the issues of site

selection, adjacent land use, fertilizer usage,
water sourcing and usage, pest control and
pesticide monitoring, harvesting practices
(including worker hygiene, packaging storage,
field sanitation and product transportation) and
cooler operations. 63
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/Documents/MCMS/GAPSpostharvest.pdf
GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE (GMP)
❑ Good manufacturing practices (GMPs) are
regulations that describe the methods,
equipment, facilities and controls required for
producing safe and effective the products.

❑ Good Manufacturing Practice regulations

(GMPs) are used by food manufacturers as they
produce and test products that people use.

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 GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE (GMP)
1. Food safety hazard
- Biological hazard
- Chemical hazard
- Physical hazard
2. Food plant location, establishment and food
equipment
3. Water, ice, steam control
4. Personal hygiene
5. Pest control 65
 GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE (GMP)
6. Cleaning and sanitizing
7. Chemical hazard control
8. Physical hazard control
9. Food, packaging and chemical storage control
10. Product identification and treaceability
11. Product recall
12. Record making and record keeping
13. Food transport control
14. Waste disposal 66
 HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL
CONTROL POINT (HACCP)
•HACCP is an effective systematic approach to
food safety.
•HACCP is established as the regulations for food
safety standard throughout other areas of the food
industry.

HACCP
1. Assemble the HACCP Team.

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 HACCP

o Describe product and identify intended use.

- Product name
- Use of the product
- Chemical content
- Type of packaging
- Expired date
- Suggestions
- etc.
o Construct flow diagram and on-site confirmation
of flow diagram.
o Conduct a hazard analysis.
o Determine the critical control points (CCP). 68
 HACCP
o Establish critical limit(s).
o Establish a system to monitor control of CCP.
o Establish corrective action.
- Hold product
- Reprocess
- Destroy
- Reject
o Establish procedures for verification to confirm
that HACCP system is working effectively.
o Establish document and record keeping.
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GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE (GAP)
Production:
o Water quality and safety
o Manure handling and application
o Wildlife and pets
Harvest:
o Worker sanitation
Postharvest handling:
o Cleaning
o Packing and processing
o Storage
o Transportation
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o Distribution
 POSTHARVEST HANDLING
Postharvest management practices that reduce
product loss to spoilage or shrinkage will reduce
microbial risks.
▪ Cleaning the product
▪ Sorting
▪ Packaging
▪ Quick cooling
▪ Good refrigerated storage
▪ Good transportation and
distribution
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 POSTHARVEST HANDLING
Including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
o Packing facility sanitation
- Building
- Equipment
- Storage
o Water Quality
o Worker hygiene

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PACKING HOUSE SANITATION
❑ Proper sorting and culling of product.
❑ Maintaining detectable free chlorine in wash
water.
❑ Enforcing good worker hygiene.
❑ Cleaning and sanitizing equipment.

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 PACKING HOUSE SANITATION
❑ Excluding all animals from packing house,
especially insects, birds and rodents.

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 PACKING FACILITY
❑ Should be arranged so that product moves to a
cleaner area during each step of processing.
❑ Good sanitation and housekeeping should be
practices in the area – Standard Operation
Procedures (SOPs).
❑ Cleaning supplies should be stored in a separate
area.
❑ Rest rooms should not open directly into
processing and packaging area.

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 PACKING FACILITY
❑ Should have adequate lighting and shielded to
protect product if breakage occurs.
❑ Processing equipment food contact surface
should be cleaned and sanitized and done as
frequently as necessary.
❑ Use only food grade machinery lubricants.
❑ Exposed overhead piping and ducts should be
minimized and kept clean.

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 PACKING FACILITY
o Work tables/product preparation surfaces – food
contact surfaces:
- Smooth surface allow easy cleaning.
Rough surface harbor dirt and microorganisms.
- Important to clean and sanitize as needed
Wash, rinse, and sanitize with approved food
contact agents.
o Store packing containers away from
contamination source.
o Close doors at night.

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 PACKAGING MATERIALS SHOULD BE
STORED TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION

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https://www.pacline.com/solutions/produce-packing-conveyors
 TEST WATER FREQUENTLY
▪ First requirement for GAPs Certification.
At least once a year:
- Municipal water
- Well water
▪ Test surface water for quality assurance.
3 times during season intemperate climates.
- at planting (high flow)
- at peak use (low flow)
- at harvest
▪ Maintain good records of results.

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 WORKER HYGIENE
❑ Workers should follow good hygiene practices to
protect against contamination of the product.

❑ Workers should receive training in proper food

handling techniques, food protection basics,
personal hygiene and sanitary practices.

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 WORKER HYGIENE
o Wear clean outer garments.
o Change clothing if coming from the field.
o Maintain personal cleanliness.
o Wash hands thoroughly:
- Before starting work.
- After each absence from work station.
- At any time when hands become soiled.

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 WORKER HYGIENE
Hand washing:
o Are adequate supplies available?
- Hand soap and cleaning detergent.
- Disposal towels
- Clean water
o Are supplies used properly?
- Hands washed after using the bathroom.
- After harvesting or working in the field.
- After eating or drinking or smoking.

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 WORKER HYGIENE
❑ Remove all unsecured jewelry and other
objects.
❑ No eating, chewing or smoking in packing
areas.
❑ Gloves must be intact, clean and sanitary.
❑ Hairnets and beard cover must be wear.
❑ A worker with a health problem that could
contaminate food or food equipment shall be
exclude from working with food.

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SORTING AND CLEANING

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 SORTING
Objective: to remove product or portions of
product that may detract or pose a risk for
shortened shelf life and/or contamination by a
microbial organism.

o Contaminated product
o Senescing product
o Insect damage product
o Product with a broken skin product that is out of
grade

Nobody wants damaged or aging product.

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 CLEANING THE PRODUCT
Objective: provide customers with product that is
attractive and clean with minimal risk of microbial
contamination.

Wipe/ brush? Wash? Sanitize? Do nothing?

➢ Ideally, washing, rinsing and sanitizing provides
the greatest reduction of potential microbial
contamination.

Have to consider the crop:

❖ How dirty the product is coming from the field?
❖ Ability to remove excess moisture.
❖ Tenderness and perishability of the product.
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 FOCUS ON CLEANING AND SANITIZING
o Cleaning means free of any visible soil and other
materials.
- May involve the use of soap/detergent and
water.
- Adequate rinsing so no residue is present.
- Using water of potable quality.

o Sanitizing id the next step.

- Reduction of pathogens to non-harmful levels.

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 CLEANING AND SANITIZING
Is rinsing enough?
❑ Customers demanding – convenience of ready
to eat products.
❑ Allows only partial removal of microorganisms.
❑ Can spread microbial contamination without
water renewal.

Use of potable water – test and change as

needed.
❑ Sanitizers – many options

Effectiveness of each varied with the food tested.

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 Bacteria can enter the stem scar when improper
handling or wash water management is practiced.

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 SANITIZING AGENTS
❑ Typical sanitizers include chlorine, iodine,
hydrogen peroxide, quaternary ammonium
compounds (Quats), and some organic acids.
❑ Be sure sanitizers are approved for food contact.
❑ Use correct concentrations for food contact.
❑ Test that correct concentrations are reached
and maintained - test strip.
❑ Discard and change as needed.
❑ Avoid re-contamination of sanitized items – with
hands or contact with other items.

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 SANITIZING AGENTS FOR FRESH PRODUCE

➢ Sodium hypochlorite – aka Bleach (6%, 100-200

ppm)*
➢ Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 3%)*
➢ Tsunami TM (peroxy-acetic acid, 80 ppm)*
➢ PRO-SAN® LC (1%)
➢ Acidified sodium chlorite (Sanova TM)
➢ Ozone (requires a generator)*
➢ Acetic acid (from an organic source)*

* Approved by the USDA National Organic Program

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 PACKING CONTAINERS

o Containers must be food grade quality.

o Containers must protect integrity of the product.
o Disposable containers should not be re-used.

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 STORAGE

Objective: extend the shelf life of the product.

❑ Slow down the respiration rate.

- Lower temperature.

❑ Minimize moisture loss from the product.

- Increase the humidity in the storage room.
- Increase the humidity around the product.

❑ Reduce the risk of microbial growth.

- Lower temperature below 41 oF.

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 COOLING THE PRODUCT

o Wet product can allow rapid bacterial growth if

not cooled.
o Proper storage temperature is dependent on the
vegetable or fruit.
o Critical temperatures are:
- Below 41 oF to minimize bacterial growth.
- Bacterial grow most rapidly from 70-135 oF.

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 COOLING AND POSTHARVEST QUALITY

o To prolong the shelf life of the product, it is

important to cooling down to slow respiration.

o The importance and optimum storage

temperature varies with:
- The respiration rate of the product.
- Whether the product is chilling sensitive.

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 STEPS TO AID IN COOLING

▪ Harvest in the morning when it is cool.

▪ Keep the product out of direct sunlight.
▪ Move the product to the processing facility as
soon as possible.
▪ Use water rinse in postharvest handling.
▪ Move the product into a cooler as soon as
possible after processing.
▪ Procedures to increase the rate of cooling:
- Forced air cooling (with the storage room).
- Hydro cooling.
- Ice cooling.

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 CHILLING SENSITIVE CROP

❑ Several crops can suffer from chilling injury when

stored below 41- 55 oF.
❑ Some chilling sensitive crops require curing to
harden the skin before storage.

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 STORAGE AREA

❑ Separate from the processing area.

❑ Maintain clean using good housekeeping
practices.
❑ Storage racks should be away from walls to allow
cleaning and air circulation.
❑ Practice a “FIRST-IN” “FIRST-OUT” system for
inventory control.

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 STORAGE AREA

o No products, packaging materials, ingredients

should be stored on floor.
o Maintain a rodent control program.
o Maintain appropriate temperature and humidity.
- Monitoring.
- Keep record.

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 STORAGE AREA

o Walls, floor and ceiling should be constructed so

that they can be kept clean and in good repair.

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 TRANSPORTATION

o Ownership the product until transferred.

o Take precaution to minimize risk of microbial

contamination during transit.

o Attention to:
- Food contact surfaces.
- Time and temperature abuse.
- Product integrity – potential or opportunity for
unintentional or intentional contamination.

o Other uses of the vehicle.

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 DISTRIBUTION AND DISPLAY

o Avoid exposure direct to sunlight.

o Product should not be displayed on ground.

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 ZERO-RISK/PATHOGEN FREE IS “MISSION
IMPOSSIBLE”

o But action steps can reduce the risk.

o People want and need fruits and vegetables for
many reasons – taste and health.
o Consumer education is also needed.
o Producers need to show that best practices are
being used.
o Show with policies and documentation.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

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