MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical and Education

------------o0o------------

SUBJECT:

Senior Lecturer. MEng. Đặng Thị Ngọc Dung

1
PART II: FRUIT, VEGETABLE
PROCESSING
CHAPTER III: PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS
OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
 PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS

Damage/spoilage of postharvest fruits and vegetables is when

products are reduced in aesthetic quality, sensory, nutrition,
and even no longer use-value.
 The leading causes of post-harvest losses

Biochemical
Biology and
and chemical
organisms
damages

The main
causes of
post-harvest
losses
Biological
Mechanical
damages
damages
Physical
damages
 The leading causes of post-harvest losses

1. Biology and organisms: Insects, pests, fungi, bacteria

2. Biochemical and chemical damages:
 Contamination of pesticides, chemicals;
 Browning phenomenon (especially tubers);
 Toxin, a strange smell due to disease.
3. Physical damages:
 Damaged due to bite, cut fruits
 contusion, bruises, scratches
 The leading causes of post-harvest losses

4. Physical damages:
 Temperature: too hot or too cold;
 The amount of water: dehydration
5. Biological damages:
 Germination, budding
 Roots
 Senescence
 The quality changes due to respiration, transpiration
The leading causes of post-harvest losses
The leading causes of post-harvest losses
The leading causes of post-harvest losses
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

 As fruits and vegetables disorders or damage

themselves
 Occurred due to adverse environmental conditions
 Degree of physiological disorders depends on the
maturity of the agricultural products
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

Some reference symptoms

Disorder Symptom
Burn due to sunlight Brown to black color in the
area affected by sunlight
Damage due to Brown flesh, happening on
senescence overripe fruit or too long
storage fruit
Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

 High temperature (from 35oC – 50oC),

 Chilling injury temperature (from 0oC – 10oC)
 Freezing temperature (from -1oC – 0oC)
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

 Chilling injury can significantly cause 'Fuyu' persimmons deterioration

during marketing after exposure to temperatures below 15°C.
 Symptom development is the fastest at 5-7°C and slowest at 0°C, the
recommended storage and transport temperature for persimmons.
 Use of controlled atmosphere of 3-5% O2 + 5-8% CO2 at temperatures
below 5°C reduced chilling injury
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.1 The phenomenon of chilling injury (00C – 100C)

 Browning flesh: eggplant

 The outer peel is black and blue / pale / discolored:
bananas / tomatoes
 There is concave rot on the fruit’s surface: eggplant
 Rotting phenomenon on skin: okra, peppers, tomatoes,
Pumpkin
 Decreasing resistance/tolerance
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.1 The phenomenon of chilling injury (00C – 100C)

 Dehydration in the lesions can occur at a very high speed

 The development of strange smells and tastes (off-flavor)
 Unripening fruits: bananas, tomatoes
 Uneven-ripe fruits: tomatoes
 Fruit ripening rate is low or no more ripening after cooling:
bananas
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.1 The phenomenon of chilling injury (00C – 100C)
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.1 The phenomenon of chilling injury (00C – 100C)

 Mature red capsicums are less susceptible to chilling injury than

green fruit;
 Photo shows the effect of storage for 3 weeks at 0°C, 2°C, 4°C or
6°C on capsicum quality;
 Green fruit at 0°C and 2°C are showing light pitting, an early
symptom of chilling damage
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.1 The phenomenon of chilling injury (00C – 100C)

 Hot water treatments can delay the onset of chilling damage

 Capsicums were treated under a shower of 20°C (left) or 55°C
(right) water for 30 seconds before storage at 2°C for 6 weeks
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.1. The phenomenon of chilling injury (00C – 100C)

Zucchini were treated with 20°C (left) or 55°C (right) water for 30
seconds before storage at 5°C for four weeks
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.1 The phenomenon of chilling injury (00C – 100C)
a) Mechanism of chilling injury

 The change in the physical properties of membrane

lipids (at a temperature of 70C-150C): increasing
saturation of fatty acids which participate in constituting
cell membrane affecting the movement of metabolites
and enzymes
 Reducing or losing activity of enzymes and other
proteins
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.1 The phenomenon of chilling injury (00C – 100C)
b) How to prevent chilling injury

 Do not store product above its tolerant temperature

 Control storage temperature: avoid thermal shock, increasing -
decreasing temperature slowly
 Preventing cold air exposures directly on the product: packaging
 Improving the surface integrity of the cell membrane: Ca2+
treatment
 Increasing the relative humidity of the air in the storage
environment.
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.2 Damage due to freezing (< 00C)
The formation of ice crystals breaks down cell structure.
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

1. Disorders caused by thermal injury

1.3 Damage due to high temperature (> 350C)

 Status of unusual ripening and breakage of tissue structure:

 Although the texture of banana fruit is soft, its’ peel is still
green due to chlorophyll degradation is inhibited;
 Increased intracellular levels of CO2, starch hydrolysis.
 The surface of the product is dark or discolored
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

2. Disorders due to mineral deficiencies

Lack of calcium

 Stalk rot of tomatoes, burning leaf tip of lettuce…

 Browning products.
 Bitter pitted scars: apple
 Damage due to postharvest physiological disorders

2. Disorders due to mineral deficiencies

Role of calcium

 Increasing firmness of the peel and the tissue

 Activation of endo – PG enzyme;
 Inactivation of exo - PG and kinase enzymes
 Promote fruit ripening
 Maintaining a normal state of metabolic processes
Spraying calcium solution onto pre-harvest crops or
spraying/dipping into a calcium solution after harvest.