Preharvest Modulation of Postharvest Fruit and Vegetable Quality is the first book to focus on the potential yield quality, quantity and safety benefits of intervention during growth. Of the many factors responsible for overall quality of produce, about 70 percent comes from pre-harvest conditions. Written by an international team of experts, this book presents the key opportunities and challenges of pre-harvest interventions. From selecting the most appropriate growing scenario, to treating plants during the maturation process, to evaluating for quality factors to determine appropriate interventions, this book provides an integrated look at maximizing crop yield through preventative means. In fact, with the very best of postharvest knowledge and technologies available, the best that can be achieved is a reduction in the rate at which products deteriorate as they progress through their normal developmental pattern of maturation, ripening and senescence. Therefore, it is very important to understand what pre-harvest factors influence the many important harvest quality attributes that affect the rate of postharvest deterioration and, subsequently, the consumers' decision to purchase the product in the marketplace. - Presents the important pre-harvest factors that influence harvest quality - Includes up-to-date information on pre-harvest factors that modulate post-harvest biology - Identifies potential methodologies and technologies to enhance pre-harvest interventions

Postharvest Disinfection of Fruits and Vegetables describes available technologies to reduce microbial infection for maintaining postharvest quality and safety. The book analyzes alternative and traditional methodologies and points out the significant advantages and limitations of each technique, thus facilitating both cost and time savings. This reference is for anyone in the fresh produce industry who is involved in postharvest handling and management. It discusses, in detail, the latest disinfection approaches, low-cost treatment strategies, management and protocols to control fresh produce qualities, diseases and insect infestation. - Includes methods to reduce microbial contamination using chlorination, ozone, pulsed light, irradiation and plasma technology - Provides practical applications of recently developed, natural anti-microbial agents for eco-friendly and sustainable solutions - Explores various disinfection technologies for quality assurance and for the development of potential new technologies

The food industry is now entering a transition age, as scientific advancements and technological innovations restructure what people eat and how people think about food. Food Tech Transitions provides a critical analysis of food technology and its impact, including the disruption potential of production and consumption logic, nutrition patterns, agronomic practices, and the human, environmental and animal ethics that are associated with technological change. This book is designed to integrate knowledge about food technology within the social sciences and a wider social perspective. Starting with an overview of the technological and ecological changes currently shaping the food industry and society at large, authors tackle recent advancements in food processing, preserving, distributing and meal creation through the lens of wider social issues. Section 1 provides an overview of the changes in the industry and its (often uneven) advancements, as well as related social, ecological and political issues. Section 2 addresses the more subtle sociological questions around production and consumption through case-studies. Section 3 embraces a more agronomic and wider agricultural perspective, questioning the suitability and adaptation of existing plants and resources for novel food technologies. Section 4 investigates nutrition-related issues stemming from altered dietary patterns. Finally, Section 5 addresses ethical questions related to food technology and the sustainability imperative in its tripartite form (social, environmental and economic). The editors have designed the book as an interdisciplinary tool for academics and policymakers working in the food sciences and agronomy, as well as other related disciplines.

This edited volume provides insight into temperate fruits, with an emphasis on postharvest physiology, storage, packaging and technologies for maintaining fruit quality. Chapters are devoted to individual fruits and focus on fundamental issues such as methods for maintaining or enhancing quality, minimizing postharvest losses, and recommended technologies to boost demand. Contributions come from experts in the field, making this a key reference for all aspects of postharvest management of temperate fruits. The volume is unique in its focus on the biodiversity, nutritional and health benefits, and postharvest technologies for shelf life enhancement of temperate fruits. Contributing authors address the postharvest biology and technology of individual temperate fruits such as plum, cherry, peach, apricot, apple, pear, quince, loquat, kiwi, persimmon and berries. There has been tremendous growth in the research and development of new techniques to maintain the quality of temperate fruits from farm to table. Contributions from experts in the field cover these recent advances, providing up-to-date and relevant information for researchers, postharvest/fruit technologists, food scientists, postgraduate students, and others working in the industry.

Postharvest Technology of Perishable Horticultural Commodities describes all the postharvest techniques and technologies available to handle perishable horticultural food commodities. It includes basic concepts and important new advances in the subject. Adopting a thematic style, chapters are organized by type of treatment, with sections devoted to postharvest risk factors and their amelioration. Written by experts from around the world, the book provides core insights into identifying and utilizing appropriate postharvest options for maximum results. - Presents the most recent developments in processing technologies in a single volume - Includes a wide range of perishable products, thus allowing for translational insight - Appropriate for students and professionals - Written by experts as a reference resource

Saving Food: Production, Supply Chain, Food Waste and Food Consumption presents the latest developments on food loss and waste. Emphasis is placed on global issues, the environmental impacts of food consumption and wasted food, wasted nutrients, raising awareness via collaborative networks and actions, the effect of food governance and policy in food losses, promotion of sustainable food consumption, food redistribution, optimizing agricultural practices, the concept of zero waste, food security and sustainable land management, optimizing food supply and cold chains, food safety in supply chain management, non-thermal food processing/preservation technologies, food waste prevention/reduction, food waste valorization and recovery. Intended to be a guide for all segments of the food industry aiming to adapt or further develop zero waste strategies, this book analyzes the problem of food waste from every angle and provides critical information on how to minimize waste. - Describes all aspects related to saving food and food security, including raising awareness, food redistribution actions, food policy and framework, food conservation, cold chain, food supply chain management, food waste reduction and valorization - Guides all segments of the industry on how to employ zero waste strategies - Analyzes key issues to create a pathway to solutions

As a collection of papers that includes material presented at the 2008 International Congress for Plant Pathology, this text features research right at the leading edge of the field. The latest findings are particularly crucial in their implications for fruit production; an important market sector where in some areas up to 50 per cent of the crop can be lost after harvest. While post-harvest fruit treatments with fungicides are the most effective means to reduce decay, rising concerns about toxicity have led to the development of alternative approaches to disease control, including biological methods, the subject of three chapters of this book. With several new techniques requiring modification of current post-harvest practices, it is more important than ever to stay abreast of the latest information. Other chapters deal with the mechanisms of host fruit and vegetable resistance, fungal pathogenicity factors and their relationship with the host response, and a number of subjects related to disease assessments before harvest as well as their relationship to the postharvest treatment of fruits and vegetables. The book also includes several useful case studies of crops such as kiwifruit and peaches, where different approaches at the pre- and post-harvest levels are combined to good effect. With food production issues gaining an ever higher profile internationally, this text makes an important contribution to the debate.