Small-Scale Postharvest Handling Practices : A Manual for Horticultural Crops

Title: Postharvest Handling of Horticultural Crops
Author: FAO
Publisher: United Book Prints
Language: English
Edition: 4th Edition
ISBN: 9789388399098
Pages: 270
Binding: Hard Bound
Year of Publication: 2024
Size: 8.15" x 11.30" x 0.75"
Weight: 805 gms
Price: ₹3,550.00 (Print Book)
Book Type: Reference Book

Book Description:
Postharvest Handling of Horticultural Crops is an essential guide for those involved in the postharvest management and quality control of fresh produce. This manual provides a comprehensive understanding of the key principles involved in harvesting, packing, storage, transportation, and processing of horticultural crops to maintain their quality and minimize losses. It addresses critical areas such as postharvest decay, insect control, temperature and humidity management, and food safety practices.

With practical guidance on the use of tools like refractometers and firmness testers, and the best practices for packaging, cooling, and storage, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone in the agricultural and horticultural industries. It also offers detailed instructions for various processing techniques, from solar drying to canning, and includes a section on food safety, ensuring that the crops maintain their safety and quality from farm to table.

The book is a comprehensive reference for professionals involved in agriculture, especially those focusing on the marketing, export, and postharvest handling of horticultural crops.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction to the Manual

• Principal causes of postharvest losses and poor quality

• Relative perishability and storage life of fresh produce

• Resources for quality assurance and export marketing

CHAPTER 1: HARVESTING AND PREPARATION FOR MARKET

• Maturity standards

• Using a refractometer

• Using a firmness tester

• Harvesting practices

• Harvesting containers

• Harvesting tools

• Field packing

• Transport to the packinghouse

CHAPTER 2: CURING ROOT, TUBER AND BULB CROPS

• Field curing

• Curing with heated air

• Bulk systems for curing onions

• Emergency curing

CHAPTER 3: PACKINGHOUSE OPERATIONS

• Narrow pallet system

• General operations

• Packinghouse layout

• Dumping

• Conveyor equipment

• Washing

• Waxing

• Sorting

• Sizing

• Simple packing line

CHAPTER 4: PACKING AND PACKAGING MATERIALS

• Packing practices

• Packing containers

• Choosing a container

• Packaging practices

• Labelling

• Modularization of containers

• Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)

• Unit loads

CHAPTER 5: DECAY AND INSECT CONTROL

• Chemical controls

• Vase life of cut flowers

• Cold treatments

• Controlled/modified atmosphere treatments

• Heat treatments

• Biological control and plant growth regulators

CHAPTER 6: TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY CONTROL

• Room cooling

• Forced-air cooling

• Hydro-cooling

• Evaporative cooling

• Night air ventilation

• Chilling injury

• Use of ice

• Alternative methods of cooling

• Increasing relative humidity

• Maintaining the cold chain for perishables

CHAPTER 7: STORAGE OF HORTICULTURAL CROPS

• Recommended storage temperatures

• Compatibility groups for storage

• Susceptibility to freezing injury

• Storage practices

• Storage structures

• Storage of dried and bulb crops

• Storage of root and tuber crops

• Storage of potatoes

• Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage

CHAPTER 8: TRANSPORTATION OF HORTICULTURAL CROPS

• Open vehicles

• USDA Porta cooler

• Refrigerated trailers

• Stacking patterns/hand-stacked

• Stacking patterns/pallet and slip sheet loads

• Stacking strength

• Bracing the load

• Air transport

CHAPTER 9: HANDLING AT DESTINATION

• Unloading

• Temporary storage temperatures

• Sorting/repacking

• Ripening

• Display

CHAPTER 10: PROCESSING OF HORTICULTURAL CROPS

• Processing equipment

• Preparation for processing

• Solar drying

• Forced-air dehydrators

• Oil-burning dehydrators

• Electric dehydrators

• Oven drying

• Drying flowers

• Canning

• Juicing

• Other methods of processing

CHAPTER 11: FOOD SAFETY PRACTICES

• Food Safety on the Farm

• Minimizing pathogen contamination during harvest

• Minimizing pathogen contamination during postharvest handling

• Sanitizing field containers, tools, and packinghouse surfaces

• Traceback