Postharvest Losses

& Their Management

Dr. Raheel Anwar
Associate Professor
Institute of Horticultural Sciences
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

POSTHARVEST-FARM-MARKET

Fresh produce supply chain

Producer Transport Pack house Export/ Retail Consumer

Import

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 COMMODITY SYSTEM ANALYSIS

Postharvest
Handling

Production
Post-Harvest

Pre-Harvest
Commodity
system
analysis

Pre-Production Marketing

Need for Postharvest

Fresh produce are important item of commerce and

huge investment are made in their handling,
transport, storage, marketing-throughout supply
chain

Postharvest Science & Technology is aimed at

protecting this investment

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 POSTHARVEST: BACKGROUND

•Hort. crops are generally perishable (65-95% water)

•Harvest when eating or visual quality optimum
•Remoteness of production
•Large urban areas-complexity of marketing
•International trade
•Holding to avoid glut
•Extending shelf life require-
•Knowledge of all factors leading to loss of quality
•Use this knowledge to develop technologies to minimize rate
of deterioration

Relative Perishability vs Respiration

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 Extent of Postharvest Losses
ROUGH ESTIMATES

▪ 5-25% in developed countries

▪ 20-40% in developing countries
▪ Loss of product = Much more than just the
cost of commodity

Average fresh F&V shrink rates in U.S.

supermarkets during 2011–12. Green bars indicate
vegetables, and yellow bars indicate fruit (Porat et
al., 2018; Postharvest Biology & Technology).

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 Food loss and waste percentages at each step along the supply
chain in USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand combined
potato (Porat et al., 2018; Postharvest Biology & Technology).

Postharvest losses of potatoes, tomatoes,

and grapes (Egypt)

Percentage loss of commodity

Marketing system level Potatoes Tomatoes Grapes

Farm 11.9 9.0 15.1

Wholesale 1.5 17.9 6.9
Retail 4.2 16.3 6.0

Total 17.6 43.2 28.0

Source: University of California - Egypt, Agricultural Development

Systems Project Final Report (edited by Blond, 1984)

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 F&V losses in Supply chain of Different Regions

Rezaei, M., B. Liu, Food loss and waste in the food supply chain,
edn. (FAO, 2017), p. 26-27

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Postharvest Losses-Types

Losses
• Moisture
• Stored energy
• Loss of other food-vitamin
• Physical losses-Through pest and disease
• Quality losses=Physiological disorders
• Fiber development
• Root/ Shoot growth
• Seed germination

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 POSTHARVEST LOSSES-TYPES
Losses

Cosmetic
Nutritional ✓Colour
✓Calories ✓Blemishes
✓Vitamins

Palatability
Economic ✓Aroma
✓Weight loss ✓Texture
✓Profitability ✓Taste
✓Food availability

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Postharvest Losses-Quality ????

Cosmetic losses
Banana-Sudan
✓Quality assessment –EU standards- at removal from
ripening room
✓95% unsuitable for export marketing
✓Local people paid same price/demand
Nutritional Loss
✓Difficult to estimate
✓Complex analysis
✓Mineral, Vitamin
✓Mineral stable, while vitamin losses are in postharvest

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 Postharvest Losses- Quality ???
Economic losses-Yams- Jamaican Agri. Marketing
✓Production -60-100 km from production facility
✓If transported without packing
✓49% suitable for export
✓51% sold locally
✓If packed-and transported-
✓ 84% were exported
✓Cost of packing was much less than the economic benefit
✓Now compare Pakistan scenario-
✓Look for C/B ratio

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Resource map for potato (Porat et al., 2018; Postharvest Biology & Technology)

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 POSTHARVEST
MANGEMENT GOALS

▪ Harvest product at its optimum maturity

▪ Maintain the product’s internal and external quality

throughout packaging, storage and distribution

▪ Deliver the fruits to the consumer at the time and in a

form that they like.

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CONCLUSION

• Postharvest handling is the final stage in the process of

producing high quality fresh produce.

• Being able to maintain a level of freshness from the field to the

dinning table presents many challenges.

• A grower/supplier who can meet these challenges, will be able to

expand his or her marketing opportunities and be better able to
compete in the marketplace.

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