POSTHARVEST

HANDLING OF
PERISHABLE CROPS
LESSON 1

Post harvest handling

includes the aspect of
science and technology.
DIFFERENT STUDY

Postharvest physiology covers

mainly the study of principles
governing the biological processes
that occur in the harvested crops
Morpho-anatomy covers the
specific parts of the crop in which
the processes occur and the changes
of these parts after harvest.
The study of the changes in the
physical characteristics falls
under the sciences of post
harvest engineering and physical
chemistry.
The Postharvest Technology covers the
series of procedures, operations, steps of
movements that crops are made to
undergo in order to control changes in
harvested crops, including the
technological aspects of marketing and
distribution.
These procedures, operations,
movements or steps are
collectively called handling.
TERMINOLOGIES

1. Postproduction - the general term

applied in the handling of crops, whether
used for food or any other purposes such
as seeds, fiber, botanical pesticides 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 of crops are subdivided
into two: primary processing and
secondary processing
2. 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. The original
plant part can still be recognized.
Primary processing includes:

Food crop handling -

encompasses postharvest
handling of perishable 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 manufacturers: oil-producing

crops such as coconut, oil palm, castor bean; fiber crops; beverage crops (coffee and

cacao); spices, condiments and flavor enhancing crops; crops for perfume and other

essences; latex and resin crops; medicinal and botanical pesticide plants.
Seed processing and storage -
harvesting and preparation of
seeds for storage, sale or
planting.
Perishable crops include fruits, vegetables, florist
crops, florist greens, young coconut and herbs.

Slightly perishable vegetables such as root and

bulb crops are also included in the term perishable
crops.
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 vegetables that
have been peeled, sliced, cut and
packaged in a form that is ready to
cook or eat uncooked. The resulting
products are called fresh cuts.
Secondary Processingv -
postharvest activities that involved
conversion of harvested crop into
stable products that can no longer be
changed into other forms. It is also
referred as full processing.
Industrial processing -
manufacture of chocolate
powder, candies, instant coffee
powder and the like
Production of medicinal products
from plants - manufacture of
antibiotics and other pharmaceutical
products as well as commercial
herbal preparations.
Production of dried plant arts -
production of art forms from
dried plant parts such as floral
arrangement, 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 to differences in moisture
content and perishability.

Most perishable crops have 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 the crops
could last for a year.
Thus postharvest handling of
perishable 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 buyer’s specifications and

trade requirements such as quarantine treatments.

Biological State of commodity -
cells are actively respiring and
hence are considered to possess
the characteristics of living cells
or tissues
Operations - steps done after harvest in
preparation for marketing, consumption,
or food processing. Freezing can be
considered as a postharvest handling
operation as long as the cells of the frozen
commodity are still respiring.
FOOD PROCESSING
Aims - transform the produce
into a stable preserved product
that can usually be no longer
converted into another form.
Biological State of the commodity - the
cells are no longer respiring, hence, non-
living. Cells of quick frozen commodities
especially those subjected to quick freezing
are still alive after thawing but with
continued freezing, they eventually cease to
respire while remaining fresh-like.
Operations - done after postharvest handling.
If the continuously 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”
banana chips, catsup, banana juice, puree and
wine
NEED FOR POSTHARVEST HANDLING
A. Food security - there is an urgency in increasing food
supply to feed the rapidly increasing population in
tropical countries. The usual solutions are to increase
productivity per unit area, expand the area of
production and control the rate of population growth.
Proper postharvest handling is an additional or
complementary method of solving food needs. Reducing
wastage means increased supply at retail that is available
to more people.
It is advantageous because:
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 level.
2. Loss prevention is not risky. If a technique
fails, there is no additional postharvest loss.
3. The energy used to produce food that
would otherwise be lost could be conserved.
If the part of the crop is not used, the energy
used for production is wasted.
4. The desired results are attained
more rapidly than with the other
techniques. An improvement in
handling practice resulting in the
maintenance of quality can be seen
in a day to a week.
B. Increasing urbanization and industrialization - as a
country becomes more and more industry-oriented, the
people increasingly move to the cities while the
production areas are pushed farther away from
population centers. Some of the areas are accessible by
footpaths or rugged roads, if ever they exist. The
increasing distance between point of production to
markets makes it more difficult to maintain the freshness
of produce.
C. Huge opportunities and stiff competition in
exporting fresh produce
- the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT)
has facilitated world trade in fresh produce. It has
removed barriers and subsidies that previously made it
difficult for developing countries to export. Now, fruits
can be exported because of this effort. However,
competition has also increased tremendously.
D. Growing to quality - more
than ever, customers are looking
for and are willing to pay a
premium price for good quality
produce.
D. Changing tastes and lifestyles - self-service air-
conditioned retail stores called supermarkets are now
found not only in cities but also in many small towns.
Much bigger and more sophisticated ones called the
hypermarkets are found in the big cities. Fruits and
vegetables and flowers sold in these stores are generally
and consistently of better quality than those sold in the
public markets because of the extra efforts and
additional technology in maintaining the quality of the
produce.
F. Growing concerns about food
safety - people are now more careful
about the food they eat, food safety is
also rapidly becoming mandatory in
the export market.
Concern for food safety necessitates that:
1. A system be established especially for
fruits and vegetables eaten raw, and more so
for fresh cuts to ensure that the produce is
good and safe to eat. This is the new
development in postharvest handling of
tropical perishable crops especially in
developing countries.
2. Greater effort be exerted in looking for
non-chemical ways (like hot water
treatment) of eliminating or minimizing
pests and diseases.
3. More chemicals that are Generally
Regarded as Safe (GRAS) be
exploited.
G. Heightened health conscious - people are becoming aware not only
on the nutritive value of fruits and vegetables but also of their disease-
preventing properties.

Example, people see and hear on television that red tomatoes that
contains lycopene, which prevents cancer. Lycopene is a pigment that
makes tomatoes red. However, during hot summer months are orange,
not red. How to make them turn red is a postharvest problem.
Preservation of the nutritive value goes hand in hand with the
prevention of quality deterioration.
H. Fluctuating supply and prices over time -
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
were kept, the higher the storage costs and the
risks of sprouting and disease especially if the
bulbs have not been properly cured.
I. Huge losses - the amount of losses is at times
staggering. The lossess reported in developing
countries are two to three times higher than those
of developed countries. Unless postharvest losses
are minimized, the gains from production will be
offset and the potential income cannot be fully
realized.
POSTHARVEST LOSSES

•Quantitative loss - is a decline in the availability, utility and saleable

weight.

•Qualitative loss - is a decline in acceptability by the consumer

A change in chemical constituents, appearance or nutritive value can

decrease edibility and acceptability.
Quantitative losses can be readily
measured whereas qualitative losses
cannot. In general, a loss that cannot be
translated in economic terms is not
considered a loss, especially when
considering improvements in handling
procedures.
--Losses can occur during harvesting, all along the handling

route, and up to the consumer’s level.

--Often losses occur during because the materials for the

container used are of inferior quality.

IMPORTANCE OF A LOSS DATA-
GATHERING PROGRAM
1.It is the first step of a program on
reducing losses.
2.The loss data is necessary for
convincing adopters of a new
technology for preventing losses.
METHODS OF OBTAINING LOSS DATA
1. Assessment - rough approximation of losses
due to lack of information
2. Estimation - judgement of losses based on
data from studies
3. Survey - loss data obtained from traders,
cooperatives, associations or financing
agencies; limited in scope
EXTENT OF LOSSES

The amount of postharvest loss can

range from 10% to 50%. In effect,
this means that one tenth to one
half of all the time, input and labor
used to produce the food go to
waste.