POSTHARVEST

TECHNOLOGY 1

MARISSA C. HITALIA, PhD

 Chapter I.
Introduction

Overview of Postharvest Handling

• The Science and Technology Involved
• postharvest handling includes twin aspects of science and technoloy
• postharvest science involves several fields of study:
• postharvest physiology- covers mainly the study of principles
governing the biological processes that occur in harvested crops.
• morpho-anatomy - covers the specific parts of the crop in which
the processes occur and the chnages of these parts after
harvest.
• the study of the changes in the physical characteristeristics of
the commodity falls under the sciences of postharvest
engineering and physical chemistry.
• other fields of science are also involved.
The Science and Technology Involved

• The technology part covers the series of procedures,

operations, steps or movements that crops are made to
undergo in order to control changes in harvested crops,
including the technological aspects of marketing and
distribution.

• handling - the procedures, operations, movements or steps

are collectively called
• postharvest horticulture - a more specific term used to cover
the integration of these sciences and handling technology of
perishable crops.
Terminologies
• Postproduction- the general term applied to gthe handling
of crops, wheter used for food or other purposes such as
seeds, fiber, botanial pesticiedes and the like, from harvest
up to the time they reach the final consumer.

• food handling covers handling of food crops, meat, fish,

and marine products.
• postproduction technologies for crops are subdivided into:
• primary processing
• secondary processing
 Terminologies
• Primary processing - any activity that involves the handling of crops to make them more
suitable to manufactureers, processors or consumers and can still be changed into other
forms. The original plant part can still be recognized.
• primary processing includes:
• Food crop handling - used for food encompasses postharvest handling of persihable and
durable crops, as well as plantation crops used for food.
• Primary processing of non-food plantation crops - covers the steps to prepare the
following crops for the manufacurers:
• oil-producing crops such as coconut, oil plam, castor bean, fiber crops
• fiber crops
• beverage crops (coffee, cacao)
• spices, condiments and and flavor-enhancing crops
• crops for perfume and other seences
• latex and resin crops
• medicinal and botanical pesticide plants
Terminologies...
• Seed processing and storage - harvesting and
preparation of seeds for storage, sale or planting.
 Perishable crops include:

• fruits
• vegetables
• florist crops
• florist greens
• young coconuts
• herbs
• slightly perishable vegtables (root and bulb crops)
Note:
• fresh medicinal crops and nursery and nursery stocks such as cuttings,
bud sticks and uprooted seedlings intended for transport elsewhers
for planting are also considered prishable crops but there are hardly
any studies on the postharvest handling of these crops and florists
greens in tropical countries, hence only food and florist crops, also
called fresh rpoduce are included in the scope of perishable crops in
tgis book.
• Raw material handling - postharvest handling of fruits and vegetables
specifically intended for food processing, and of florist crops for
making dried art forms.

• Minimal processing - postharvest handling of fruits and vegtables

that have been peeled, sliced, cut and packaged in a form that is
ready to cook or to eat uncooked. The resulting products are fresh
cuts, classified in general as convinience food.

• Secondary Processing - postproduction activites that involve

conversion of harvested crops into stable products that can no longer
be changed into other forms. It is alos reffered to as full processing.
Secondary processing includes:
1. Food processing
• e.g. freezing
• drying
• blanching
• canning, and the like.

• Immediately after freezing, the cells of frozen commodities can still

respire, hence can be considered alive and and therefore
fresh. ......freezing at this stage can fall under the domain of
postharvest technology. However, if the food remains frozen, the the
cells eventually die, the time of cell death depending on the
commodity. thus freezing is usually considered under food
processing.
 Secondary processing includes:

2. Industrial processing - manufacture of chocolate powder,

candies, instant coffee powder and the like.

3. Production of medicinal products from plants - manufacture of

antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products as well as
commercial herbal preparations.

4. Production of dried plant arts - production of art forms from

dried plant parts such as floral arrangementments, pictures,
bookmarks and the like.
POSTHARVEST HANDLING OF
PERISHABLE AND DURABLE CROPS
• Postharvest handling of perishable crops is very different from that of durable
crops, which include cereals and grain legumes like peanut, mungbean and
soybean. ....this is due their differences in moisture content and pershability.

• most perishable crops have very high moisture content , hence do not last for
more than a week under ordinary conditions.

• the moisture content of most durable crops is brought down to a low level, thus
thus the crop could last for a year .
• post harvest handling of persihabel crops entails more steps and usually involves
more fields of study than that of durable crops.
 POSTHARVEST HANDLING AND FOOD PROCESSING OF
PERISHABLE CROPS

Postharvest handling

• Aims - maintain the fresh state of commodities and the safety of those used as food
while being brought to consumers on time, and to meet buyers’ specifications and
trade requirements such as quarantine treatments.

• Biological state of the commodity - cells are actively respiring and hence are
considered to possess the characteristics of living cells or tissues.

• Operations - steps done after the harvest in preparation for marketing, consumption
of food processing.
• freezing could be considered as a postharvest handling opertion as long as the cells of the frozen
commodity are still respiring
 Food Processing
• Aim - transform the produce into a stable preserved product that can usually be no longer
converted into another form.

• Biological state of commodity - the cells are no longer respiring, hence, non-living. Cells of
quick-frozen commodities especially those subjected to quick freezing ( a psecial process that
takes about 30 minutes) are still alive after thawing but with continued frezzing, they evetually
sease to respire while remaining fresh-like.

• Operations - done after postharvest handling.

• if the commodity reamians continuosly in a frozen state, then freezing becomes a food processing operation.
• A usual term for thawed frozen foods is fresh-like.
• in the case of “Saba” bananas, food processing operations include:
• manufacture of banan chips
• catsup
• banana juice
• puree
• wine
Need for postharvest handling

A. Food security - there is urgency in increasing food supply to feed the rapidly
increasing population in tropical countries.
Usual solutions:
- increase productivity per unit area
- expand the area of production
- control the rate of population growth

Additional or complementary method of solving food needs:

-
proper postharvest handling
Need for postharvest handling

Advantages of reducing wastage/losses

1. reducing losses can be relatively cheap. Simple, inexpensive and low labor-
requiring techniques can result in reduction in loss. It is taking more and more
effort and resources to increase production from a lower yield.
2. Loss prevention is not risky. if a technique fails, there is no additional
postharvest loss.
3. The energy used to produced food that would otherwise be lost could be
conserved. If part of the crop is not used, the nergy used for production is
wasted.
4. The desired results are attained more rapidly than with the other techniques.
As improvement in growing techniques can result in increased yield in 1 to 4
months for flowers and vegtables, and a longer period for fruit crops.
Need for postharvest handling, cont’d.

B. Increasing urbanization and industrialization

- as a country becomes more and more indstry-oriented, the
people increasingly move to the cities while the roduction areas are
pushed farther away from population centers.

- some of these areas are often accessible by footpaths or rugged

roads. the increasing distance between production areas and markets
makes more difficult to maintain the freshness of produce
Need for postharvest handling, cont’d.
B. Huge opportunities and stiff competition in exporting fresh
produce
- The general Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) has facilitated
world trade in fresh produce.
- to be able to export fresh produce from the philippines by
refrigerated ship or container vans, we have to keep the produce fresh-
looking for 2-3 weeks if to shipped to China, 2 weeks to Hongkong and
Japan, 3-4 weeks to Middle East and 4-6 weeks to europe and North
America
 Need for postharvest handling, cont’d.

C. Growing attention to quality

- customers are are looking for and are willing to pay a premium price for good
quality produce.
- restaurants, especially those of big hotels, get most of their fruits and vegtables
from abroad because they cannot get consistently good quality produce at the right
amount from local suppliers.

D. Changing tastes and lifestyles

- self-service air-conditioned retail stores called supermarkets are now found not
only in cities but in many small towns.
- hypermarkets are found in big cities
- fruits, vegetables and flowers sold in these stores are generally and consistently of
better quality than those sold in the public markets because of extra efforts andd
additional technology in maintaining the quality of produce.
Need for postharvest handling, cont’d.

E. Growing concern about food safety

- people ar more careful about the food they eat.
- food safety is becoming mandatory in the export market
- food safety necessitates that:
- a system be established especially for fruits and vegetables eaten
raw, and more so for fresh cuts to ensure that the produced is good
and safe to eat.
- greater effort be exerted in looking for non-chemical ways (like hot
water treatment) of elliminating or minimizing pests and diseases
- more chemicals that are Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) be
exploited
Need for postharvest handling, cont’d.

F. Heigthened health consciousness

- people are aware not only of the nutritive value of fruits and
vegtables but also their disease-preventing properties.
example:
-people hear and see in tv that red tomatoes conatin lycopene,
which prevents cancer.
-Lycopnene is the pigment that makes this vegetable red.
however during hot summer months are orange, not red ( how to
make them red is a postharvest problem)
- Preservation of the nutritive value goes hand in hand with the
prevention of quality deterioration.
Need for postharvest handling, cont’d.

F . Fluctuating supply and prices over time

example:
- during the harvest months, onion is abundant and cheap. hence part
of the harvest is stored while farmers and traders anticipate better
prices during the off-season. however, the longer the bulbs are kept,
the higher the storage cost and the risks of sprouting and disease
especially if the bulbs have not been properly cured.

G. Huge Losses
- losses in developing countries are 2 to 3 times higher than those of
developed countries.
POSTHARVEST LOSSES
• quantitative loss- a decline in the availability, utility and saleable
weight

• qualitative loss - a decline in acceptability by the consumer.

• a change in chemical constituents, appearance or nutritive value can

decrease edibility and acceptability
Factors contribute to losses:
• high temperatures during transit,occur because of storage and
distribution during the day
• lack of facilities
• predominance of rough roads
• irresponsible drivers and delays in distribution
• absence of grading

• example: often losses beacause o the use of inferior quality of conatainers ( in

1980’s containerization was already considered the weakest link in the
distribution chain and it is still true today)
Importance of a loss data-gathering program

• Basis towards any concrete measure to reduce losses. The magnitude

and nature of losses must be assessed . The principal elements
causing or influencing losses should be identified and the main
problem areas in the postharvest system must be pinpointed.

• the loss data is necessary for convincing adoptors of a new

technology for preventing losses. the findings of a good loss data
gathering program will be utilized in the development of a technology.
Methods of obtaining loss data
• Assesment - rough approximation of losses due to lack of information
(NAS 1978)

• Estimation - judgment of losses based on data from studies ( NAS

1978)

• Survey - loss data obtained from traders, cooperatives, associations or

finacing agencies, limited in scope
Extent of losses
• amount of postharvest loss can range from 10% to 50%

• this means that one tenth to 1/2 of all the time, inputt
and labor used to produce the food go to waste

• in monetary term, the amount of losses is equivalent to

million of dollars in countries that can ill-afford to lessen
the available food for their teeming population.
Nature of Losses
1. Mechanical - loss due to unintentional damage sustained by
commodity ( e.g. abrasion, punctures)

2. Biological - loss due to disease organisms and insects

3. Physico-chemical - loss due to faster rate of inherent ptocesses in

the produce or abormalities in such processes
Causes of Losses
Causes of Losses, cont’d

• In developing countries non-technical causes far overweigh the

technocal ones.

• Technical causes - are those cann be controlled by employing

technological strategies
• examples:
• improper handlin
• high temperature and disease

During harvesting, losses in the Philippines are caused

by unsuitable harvesting tools and aids; containers and
supplies; and lack of planning, preparation and
organization.
Causes of Losses, cont’d

• Non-technical or extra-technical causes - are those

that cannot be solved by tchnology.

• example:
• inefficiences in intrstucture
• isppropriate or inadequate policies
• socio-economic factors
Relationship between postharvest losses and poverty

• postharvest losses reduce the income of growers, traders and

consumers

• decrease in quality of the produce/inferior quality = lower

probability of repeat sales. A trader who losses money because of
high postharvest losses may have to lay off workers, so there will be
fewr jobs.

• with more losses, there will be less food available for the population
, resulting in increased cost per unit of food and further making it
difficult for lower-income families to obtain the needed amount of
food.
Relationship between postharvest losses and poverty, cont’d.

• Losses result in decreased nutritive value of produce that can

lead to lesser capacity of a person to work efficiently ,
resulting ultimately in lesser pay.

• the monetary value of the lost produce is usually passed on

to the consumer who has to pay for a price normally higher
than usual.
• Longevity of produce - losses could be measured in terms of the lenght
of time a commodity remains marketable or useable for its intende
purpose.

• Postharvest life - the period from harvest up to the time the produce
can still be used for its intended purpose , either as food, (for fruits and
vegetables) or decoration (for florist crops).

• Green life - for a fruit or fruit vegetable that ripens, this refers to the
period from harvest up to the time a fruit losses its green color.
• Storage life - period from start to end of any method of commercial
storage, assuming that upon removal of the commodity from the
storage, there is still to market and use it.

• Vase life - the period from the point of sale or start of dislay of a
cutflower or foliage in a avse to the time when it can longer provide
aesthetic satisfaction to the consumer.

• Shelf life- the time during which a commodity tha is brought to the
market immediately after harvest will stay in good condition when
displayed for sale , or stored at home prior to use or consumption.

• Poststorage life - time that the commodity will last after storage
regardless of usage.
Status of Postharvest Handling Efforts

• Awareness of concerned people

• Instruction

• Research

• extension

• Information materials
Characteristics of Viable and Appropriate Postharvest technology

1. Technically feasible
-should be commodity, location and situation specific
- effective for particular commodity handle in specific location and
situation

-efficient in etrms of time and movement of prpoduce from farm

to market. food safety risks should be minimized.
2. Economically viable - loss both in quantity and quality, should be reduced in
economically acceptable level.

3. Socially accceptable - postharvest intervention should be suited to the intended

user’s sitaution (socio-economic, cultural, legal/political). buyers’ requirements and
trade specifications must be met.

4. Envirinment friendly - pollution and waste generated must be minimal

Example: use of plastic as packaging material to prolong the shelflife of

fresh produce.
Laboratory exercise No.1
• to be done today ( Sept 7, 2022)
• 9- 11am
THE FRESH PRODUCE AGRIBUSINESS
SYSTEM
3 Subsystems
1. Production subsystem - participants transform inputs like seeds and
other material reosurces into quality produce with the use of labor,
technology, informatin and money.
- each prticipants attemps to make maximum profits with
as little input as possible

- integrated approach is only possible in corporate farms or cooperatives

where there is a mutually beneficial partnership between growers and a
trading partners or where the grower does the marketing himself.
Production subsystem, cont’d.

• People involed:

1. small farmers - fragmented, resource-poor small farms have limited

capital and knowledge of production and handling techniques.

2. farmers’ cooperatives/associations - can provide good quality produce

3. corporate farms - highly efficient and capital-intensive farms that are

integrated in opration and have access to the latest technologies and
information
3 SUBSYSTEMS, cont’d...

2. Marketing subsystem - people involved are market participants or so-

called intermediaries including village agents, asemblers, wholesalers,
consignees, retailers, exporters and importers.

Function:to m ake the produce available to the consumers in the

right form at the right price, place and time.
- The operations are highly integrated and the services are specialized,
adding value to the produce as required or desired by the intended buyer.
- market participants provide cash advances, transport of the produce
from the production area
3 SUBSYSTEMS, cont’d..

. Consumption subsystem - the people involved are the final receivers of produce
from the farmers.
- more concern for heath, nutrition and consumer safety, growth of the fastfood
and/or food service sector, and the influx of cheap imported fresh produce that have
made the system’s demand requirements more divers and taxing for farmers and
traders alike

People involved:
a. local households -final end-users buying from retail markets
b. Institutional buyers - hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals and
military bases
c. Processors - those who make bottled, canned or paacked dried fruits and
vegetables.
 Factors Affecting the Fresh Produce Agribusiness System

1. Climatic Factors - conditions in the area like temperature and rainfall.

- - production of persihable crops is highly seasonal
- off-season production of mango, tomato
2. Physical factors - may be natural (location, terrain and the like) or man-
made like infrastructure and institutions.
- proper infrastucure is in place = postharvest improvement or
introduction and eventual adoption of any technology
- inefficiencies in man-made provisions = higher costs and product
losses.
Factors Affecting the Fresh Produce Agribusiness System, cont’d...

Man-made physical factors:

a. Farm-to-market roads and transport facilities
- inter island transpor
- even the best quality produce, when transported over poor roads,
might sustain high loss of quality upon reaching the market

b. Communication and market information system

- a resource connecting all agribusiness subsystems and the system with all
environmental elements
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) - on prices and supply-
demand trends.
- cellular phones
- electronic money transfer and/or e-commerce
Factors Affecting the Fresh Produce Agribusiness System, cont’d

c. Postharvest and market facilities - (still limited to warehouses and dryers

for rice and corn- packing sheds and temporary storgae facilities and cold
stores are needed in the production areas and in the latter in the market
centers.
- growers of fruits, vegetables and flowers need simple harvesting aids and
packing house equipment, coupled with reliable power supply and clean
water.
- in local ports, sheds for holding and storage facilities are necessary;
refrigeration services should be accesible to shippers and traders
Factors Affecting the Fresh Produce Agribusiness System, cont’d

3. Technical factors

- RD&E technology and services

- postharvest technologies such as cold storage, refregerated
transport and improved packaging techniques - to make fruits,
evetables and flowers available and reasonable prices practically
all year-round.
 Peculiarities of fresh produce

1. diversity - wide variety of fruits, vegetables and florist crops- requiring

different methods of handling
- hence postharvest handling is commodity-specific.

2. Seasonability
- seasonal production of perishable crops
- location specific; location-specific
e.g. tomatoes from Mindanao
Peculiarities of fresh produce

3. Bulkiness
- fresh prodcue are genrally bulky
- difficult and expensive to handle
-packaging in big volumes

4. Substitutability and elastic demend

- a fresh commodity is easiliy replaced with another
-elastic demand (customers tend to buy more of a given commodity if its price is low an
vice-versa)
- improved postrvest techolog often increase the cost of marketing and may affect the
end price of hese commodities.
Socio-economic considerations

-supply and demand trends

• prices/costs of specific products vis-avis substitutes and compliments
• input prices
• characteristics of individual participants in the production, marketing
and consumption subsystems such as incomes, attitudes, values,
culture, religion, economic status, education, and training and
membership in organizations
Legal/Political Factors

• policies, laws and regulations directly or indirectly affecting he produce flow

from the farm to thee specific markets.
• - Reseach and development fund allocations
• taxes
• input subsidies
• trariff duties
• grades/standards
• requirements imposed on exports and imports of fresh products
• example;bananas from Agusan del Sur-sometimes have to wait for the
next vessel or be re-chaneled to another port in Cagayan de Oro
(additional 5-hour drive over land)
end of the presentation