This book focuses on quality of produce by addressing its various aspects. By applying a disciplinary perspective, we work toward an integrated view, placing papers in the broader context of the processes that are responsible for the supply of fresh produce. While a number of technical papers focus on factors affecting quality, policy issues are also discussed. Several papers link the market performance with the ability of the existing institutional structures to provide incentives to supply the optimal quality produce. The topics covered in this contributed volume address quality issues ranging from cultural practices to postharvest handling, retailing, and home consumption. Perspectives of horticulturists, agronomists, food scientists, engineers, and economists should be looked upon as a system applied to solve practical problems faced by scientists, the produce industry, and policy makers. The immediate benefit of this book is improved understanding of specific quality issues and marketing problems, while suggesting the need for a multidisciplinary approach for optimal solutions. This book is of interest to horticulturists, agronomists, food scientists, engineers, and economists, as well as the produce industry, and policy makers in food quality and safety.

Improved quality requires integration across business functions and scientific disciplines. Based on this premise, Fruit and Vegetable Quality: An Integrated View presents 15 unique perspectives on achieving greater quality and guidance for a more integrated approach to postharvest handling and fruit and vegetable research. Designed for anyone involved in the management, production, handling, distribution, or processing of fruits and vegetables, it provides concise descriptions of important issues, roadmaps to the literature in specific fields, assessments of current knowledge and research needs, and specific examples of product-based research. Your guide to the dynamic developments in integrating fruit and vegetable quality projects, Fruit and Vegetable Quality: An Integrated View also presents a range of options for achieving better coordination of research across scientific disciplines.

This book focuses on quality of produce by addressing its various aspects. By applying a disciplinary perspective, we work toward an integrated view, placing papers in the broader context of the processes that are responsible for the supply of fresh produce. While a number of technical papers focus on factors affecting quality, policy issues are also discussed. Several papers link the market performance with the ability of the existing institutional structures to provide incentives to supply the optimal quality produce. The topics covered in this contributed volume address quality issues ranging from cultural practices to postharvest handling, retailing, and home consumption. Perspectives of horticulturists, agronomists, food scientists, engineers, and economists should be looked upon as a system applied to solve practical problems faced by scientists, the produce industry, and policy makers. The immediate benefit of this book is improved understanding of specific quality issues and marketing problems, while suggesting the need for a multidisciplinary approach for optimal solutions. This book is of interest to horticulturists, agronomists, food scientists, engineers, and economists, as well as the produce industry, and policy makers in food quality and safety.

Food quality is becoming an ever-increasing important feature for consumers and it is well known that some food crops are perishable and have a very short shelf and storage life. An effective quality assurance system throughout the handling steps between harvest and retail display is essential to provide a consistently good quality supply of fresh food crops to the consumers and to protect the reputation of a given marketing label. Food manufacturing companies all over the world are incre- ingly focussing on quality aspect of food including minimally processed food to meet consumer demands for fresh-like and healthy food products. To investigate and control quality, one must be able to measure quality-related attributes. Quality of produce encompasses sensory attributes, nutritive values, chemical constituents, mechanical properties, functional properties and defects. Successful postharvest handling of crops requires careful coordination and integration of the various steps from harvest operations to consumer level in order to maintain the initial product quality. Maturity at harvest is one feature of quality of perishable products, it has great influence on their postharvest behavior during marketing. Safety assurance can be part of quality assurance and its focus on minimizing chemical and microbial contamination during production, harvesting, and postharvest handling of intact and fresh-cut of commodities. Essentially, electromagnetic (often optical) prop- ties relate to appearance, mechanical properties to texture, and chemical properties to flavor (taste and aroma).