The ultimate goal of crop production is to provide quality produce to consumers at reasonable rates. Most fresh produce is highly perishable, and postharvest losses are significant under the present methods of management in many countries. However, significant achievements have been made during the last few years to curtail postharvest losses in fr

This book includes the impact, compression, vibration studies, and destructive and nondestructive techniques for bruise measurement. It is essential to detect bruises in the early stages of their formation and conduct a quantitative analysis of the degree of bruising, to ensure the accurate grading of bruised fruits and vegetables and reduce unnecessary economic losses. Bruise damage occurring between the point of harvest and consumption contributes the most to the decrease in fruit quality, reducing the market value and ultimately leading to significant reductions in potential revenue. SDG 12.3 aims to “by 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.” This book presents recent technological developments in bruise measurement, detection, and analysis of fresh horticultural produce. Given the rising demand for rapid and accurate methods of quality measurement in the horticultural produce industry, this book covers destructive and nondestructive techniques for bruise measurement. Selected applications of different nondestructive methods for various fresh produce commodities are also included. This book will interest graduate and undergraduate students, researchers, academics and engineers working in different aspects of the mechanical damage affected by postharvest handling practices, professionals working in the governments, and other authorities related to fresh horticultural produce quality, regulations, and safety.

The book illustrates the role of quorum sensing in the food industry, agriculture, veterinary sciences, and medicine. It highlights the importance of quorum sensing in regulating diverse cellular functions in microbes, including virulence, pathogenesis, controlled-gene expression systems, and antibiotic resistance. This book also describes the role of quorum sensing in survival behavior and antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Further, it reviews the major role played by quorum sensing in food spoilage, biofilm formation, and food-related pathogenesis. It also explores the methods for the detection and quantification of quorum sensing signals. It also presents antimicrobial and anti-quorum sensing activities of medicinal plants. Finally, the book elucidates a comprehensive yet representative description of basic and applied aspects of quorum sensing inhibitors. This book serves an ideal guide for researchers to understand the implications of quorum sensing in the food industry, medicine, and agriculture.

This text identifies common mistakes and challenges in food preservation in developing countries, offering solutions which can play a significant role in reducing food waste in these countries. The book offers critical analysis of current preservation techniques for fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, dairy, and grain, identifying key mistakes and challenges and proposing effective solutions. Feasibility tests for implementing these innovative approaches are also presented. A well-rounded study of the various causes of food waste in developing nations, this book plays a key role in bringing effective food preservation methods to the developing world. Food Preservation in Developing Countries: Challenges and solutions studies common food preservation techniques for fruits and vegetables, fish, meat, dairy, and grains, pinpointing the areas where waste occurs due to transportation, contamination, and low quality post processing. Innovative potential solutions are presented, including the feasibility of implementation of these advanced preservation techniques. The book takes a critical look at barriers to proper food preservation in these regions and offers practical solutions which can be implemented in a cost effective and timely manner. With almost one third of the world's food supply wasted each year and 13% of the world's inhabitants going hungry, this is an incredibly important and timely text.

:This book provides a comprehensive reference work on this ubiquitous group of microorganisms for the biomedical community, and intends to stimulate further research into the biochemistry and physiology of bifidobacteria and their role in health and disease of newborns and even adult human beings. Discussions of bifidobacteria include chapters on nomenclature and taxonomy, ecology, morphology, metabolism, membrane and cell wall structure, clinical applications, metal transport, and future research trends. Each chapter ends with a summary. The book is amply illustrated and extensively referenced.