 Maintain the fresh state of commodities and

the safety of those used as food while being

brought to consumers on time.

 Meet buyer’s specifications and trade

requirements.
Stage of crop production immediately following
harvest, including cooling, cleaning, sorting and
packing.

 The instant a crop is removed from the ground,

or separated from its parent plant, it begins to
deteriorate.

 Post-harvest treatment largely determines final

quality, whether a crop is sold for fresh
consumption, or used as an ingredient in a
processed food product.

 Effective handling decreases post harvest losses.

Post-harvest processing is usually continued in
a packing house:

 A simple shed, providing shade and running

water

 A large-scale, sophisticated, mechanized

facility, with conveyor belts, automated
sorting and packing stations, walk-in coolers
and the like
 To maintain quality

 To protect food safety

 To slow down undesirable chemical changes

 To avoid physical damage such as bruising

 To delay spoilage
 In mechanized harvesting, processing
may also begin as part of the actual
harvest process.

 Initial post-harvest storage conditions

are critical to maintaining quality.

 Various methods of high-speed cooling,

and sophisticated refrigerated and
atmosphere-controlled environments,
are employed.
Regardless of the scale of harvest, from home
garden to industrialized farm, the basic
principles of post-harvest handling for most
crops are the same:

handle with care to avoid damage (cutting,

crushing, bruising)

coolimmediately and maintain in cool

conditions

cull (remove damaged items)

 Food security
 Increasing urbanization and industrialization
 Huge opportunities and stiff competition in
exporting fresh produce
 Growing attention to quality
 Changing taste and lifestyles
 Growing concerns about food safety
 Heightened health consciousness
 Fluctuating supply and prices over time
 Huge losses
 Postproduction – the general term applied to
the handling of crops, whether used for food
or other purposes such as seeds, fiber,
botanical pesticides and the like, from
harvest up to the time they reach the final
consumer.
 Primary processing – any activity that involves
the handling of crops to make them more
suitable to manufacturers, processors or
consumers and can still be changed into other
forms.

This includes:
1. Food crop handling – encompasses post harvest
handling of perishable and durable crops, as well
as plantation crops used for food.
2. Primary processing of non-food plantation crops
- covers the steps to prepare the following crops
for the manufacturers: oil-producing crops,
beverage crops, spices, condiments and flavor-
enhancing crops.
3. Seed processing and storage – harvesting and
preparation of seeds for storage, sale and
planting
 Raw material handling – post-harvest
handling of fruits and vegetables specifically
intended for food processing, and of florist
crops for making dried art forms.

 Minimal processing – post harvest handling

of fruits and vegetables that have been
peeled, sliced, cut and packaged in a form
that is ready to cook or to eat uncooked. The
resulting products are called “fresh cuts”,
classified in general as convenience food.
 Secondary processing – post production
activities that involve conversion of harvested
crops into stable products that can no longer be
changed into other forms. It is also referred to as
full processing.

The term includes:

1. Food processing
2. Industrial processing – manufacture of
chocolate, powder, candies, instant coffee
powder
3. Production of medicinal products from plants
4. Production of dried plant arts