POSTHARVEST

LOSSES AND
STRATEGIES

Course Number: Description Prepared by: G.P.Pantuhan

Contents

1 Food Security and Horticulture

2 Food Statistical Data

3 Status and Causes of PHL

4 Scope and Strategies

Product quality at
harvesting
 Product quality after
improper mechanical
Presentation 3.2 grading process.
ow it is waste...how many opportuniti
have been lost!
Food security poses a challenge to rapidly
growing populations, in environments of
dwindling land and water resources

Horticulture includes the production of

fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices,
medicinal and aromatic plants and
plantation crops
- Has established its credibility for
improving land use, and generating
employment and nutritional security
- Has emerged as a major economic activity
in Asia and Pacific, contributing to more
than 50% of the worlds acreage under
 For the most part, fruits and vegetables
are not considered to be primary sources
of carbohydrate, protein and fat.
Those with storage roots and tubers are
rich in carbohydrate, particularly starch, in
amounts comparable to the cereal crops,
and can be used as staple foods.
Leguminous vegetables supply as much as
14% protein, while dry seeds supply even
more.
The lipid content of most vegetables is
less than 0.1%.
 Most fruits, vegetables and root crops are
rich in minerals, carotene (Pro-vitamin A)
and vitamin C, and are reasonably good
sources of trace elements such as copper,
manganese and zinc, which act as enzyme
cofactors.
The nutrient content of fruits and
vegetables varies in accordance with the
fruit or vegetable variety, cultural
practices, stage of maturity, postharvest
handling and storage conditions.
Natural physiological and biochemical
activity in fruits and vegetables results in
compositional changes following harvest.
 Other constituents of fruits and
vegetables which deserve attention
include antioxidants, bioflavonoids,
flavor compounds and dietary fibre.
Often, the leafy portion of some
important vegetables is discarded while
the fleshy portion is consumed with little
recognition for the fact that rich sources
of nutrients such as calcium, iron,
vitamin C and carotene go to waste.
Some tropical fruits and vegetables are
known to have therapeutic properties
and are popularly used in traditional
medicine in several countries of the
Dietary changes in developing countries
Source: FAO prediction from How to feed the world in 2050 (2009)
 Prediction based on expert opinions in
population, urbanization, and income
growth, excluding the food demand for
biofuels.

Food production must increase by 70%

Annual cereal production: rise to 3
billion tonnes from 2.1 billion (43%).
Annual meat production: rise by over
200 million tonnes to reach 470 million
tonnes (74%).
Arable land will be expanded by 70
million hectares (5%).
 Post-harvest loss estimates in South & Southeast Asia
70%
consumption 66%
distribution
processing and packaging
60% postharvest handling and
storage
agricultural production
50% total 49%

40%

30%
30%

22%
20%

10%

0%
Cereals Roots & Tubers Oilseeds & Pulses Fruit & Vegetables
Inappropriate post-harvest handling causes:

Product loses (Quality decay/physical loses).

High costs and low profits.

Loss of market opportunities.

Low competitiveness.
 Estimates suggest 1/3 of agricultural
production is wasted and doesnt reach
food consumer
Investment required to reduce PHL could
be modest
Technology advances should make
reduction more feasible and less
expensive
Arable land, water, energy is in limited
supply reducing PHL can lessen pressure
on scarce resources
Reducing PHL is a LOCAL
Activity
 Learning

Organizational Learning is Required for Broader

Progress to Occur
Principles of Postharvest
Management

Product quality maintenance

(reduce loses)

Generate product added value

Generate market opportunities

Status of Postharvest
Handling in the Asia-Pacific
Region
Changes in dietary habits owing to
increasing incomes continue to accelerate
demand for horticultural produce in the
region. This increased demand must be
met in an environment of shrinking land
and water resources.
At the same time, developments in science
and technology could provide an
opportunity for intensifying the production
of horticultural produce.
Status of Postharvest
Handling in the Asia-Pacific
Region
Poor infrastructure for storage, processing and
marketing in many countries of the region
contributes to a high proportion of waste, which
average between 10 and 40%.
Major infrastructural limitations also continue to
impose severe constraints to domestic distribution
as well as to the export of horticultural produce.
Considerable waste occurs owing to the fact that
small farmers lack resources and are unable to
market their produce and implement suitable
postharvest handling practices.
Status of Postharvest
Handling in the Asia-Pacific
Region
Spoilage of fresh produce is also accelerated
by the hot and humid climate of the region.
It should be noted that the production of fruits
and vegetables is of significance only when
they reach the consumer in good condition and
at a reasonable price.
It is known that food loss reduction is normally
less costly than equivalent increases in food
production.
CAUSES OF
POSTHARVEST
A. External Factors
LOSSES

1. Mechanical Injury
. Fresh fruits and vegetables are highly
susceptible to mechanical injury owing to
their tender texture and high moisture
content.
. Poor handling, unsuitable packaging and
improper packing during transportation
are the cause of bruising, cutting,
breaking, impact wounding, and other
forms of injury in fresh fruits and
vegetables.
CAUSES OF
a. Impact injuries, resulting from:
POSTHARVEST LOSSES
dropping the product onto a hard
surface;
dropping the product into the back of a
car;
excessive drops during loading and
unloading;
suddenly stopping or accelerating a
vehicle.
CAUSES OF
POSTHARVEST LOSSES
b. Vibration or abrasion injuries result
when produce is able to move within a
container because of:
vehicles with small wheels and bad
shock-absorbers;
weak crates;
bad roads;
transmission vibration.
CAUSES OF
POSTHARVEST LOSSES
c. Compression injuries are caused by
improper packing and inadequate package
performance resulting from:
over-packing of crates and boxes;
too high stacking of crates;
weak packaging.
CAUSES OF
POSTHARVEST LOSSES
d. Puncturing injuries resulting from:
nails or splinters from the crate or box;
fingers or nails of a person;
other crates, fork-lifts, etc.
hard and sharp stalks of fruit.
CAUSES OF
POSTHARVEST
2. Parasitic LOSSES
Diseases
The invasion of
fruits and
vegetables by
fungi, bacteria,
insects and other
organisms, is a
major cause of
postharvest
losses in fruits
and vegetables.
CAUSES OF
POSTHARVEST LOSSES
Microorganisms readily attack fresh
produce and spread rapidly, owing to
the lack of natural defense
mechanisms in the tissues of fresh
produce, and the abundance of
nutrients and moisture which supports
their growth.
Control of postharvest decay is
increasingly becoming a difficult task,
since the number of pesticides
available is rapidly declining as
consumer concern for food safety is
increasing.
CAUSES OF
POSTHARVEST LOSSES
B. Internal Factors

1. Physiological Deterioration
Physiological disorders occur as a result of
mineral deficiency, low or high
temperature injury, or undesirable
environmental conditions, such as high
humidity.
Physiological deterioration can also occur
spontaneously owing to enzymatic
activity, leading to overripeness and
senescence, a simple aging phenomenon.
Key process during the
postharvest life:

Respiration
Transpiration
Ethylene production
Maturity process
 GENERAL TRENDS IN
THE ASIA-PACIFIC
High income countries such as
REGION
Japan, the Republic of China, and the
Republic of Korea have, to a large
extent, been successful in
implementing postharvest
management systems which
minimize losses in perishables, while
middle income countries such as the
Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia
are putting in place systems and
strategies designed to upgrade
GENERAL TRENDS IN
THE ASIA-PACIFIC
REGION
Many low and middle income
countries continue to focus on
capacity building in order to
minimize losses in fruits and
vegetables as they struggle to
overcome technical, infrastructural
and managerial constraints and
maintain quality and safety.
PRODUCERS AND
TARGET MARKETS
Fruit and vegetable producers in the
region can be broadly grouped into
four categories:
a. small farmers;
b. groups of farmers, clusters or
cooperatives;
c. commercial farmers; and
d. foreign entities or multinationals
PRODUCERS AND
TARGET MARKETS
Small farmers operate farms of less than 1 hectare
- Dominate the fruit and vegetable production sector
across the region
- Losses occur primarily due to the use of poor quality
inputs, poor cultural practices at the production level,
lack of knowledge and skill in harvesting, postharvest
handling, packing and packaging, inadequacies in basic
and postharvest specific infrastructure in terms of pre-
cooling facilities, transport, storage and marketing, lack
of processing facilities, high transportation costs, poor
integration of activities along the chain and complex
marketing channels.
PRODUCERS AND
TARGET MARKETS
Small farmers Show relatively little interest in
postharvest and marketing activities which are
primarily undertaken by middlemen, traders and
assemblers.
- Show relatively little interest in upgrading their
traditional practices and the quality of their
inputs
- The situation is further aggravated by the warm
humid climates of most countries within the
region.
STRATEGIES
1. Raw Materials
. Pre-harvest parameters such as
selection of proper planting material,
crop management, and disease and pest
control must be geared toward
producing high quality produce.
. Once the crop is ready for harvest,
attention must be paid to the harvesting
technique/procedure.
. It is therefore necessary to standardize
maturity indices and harvesting
techniques for each and every fruit and
vegetable in order to minimize damage
at the time of harvest.
2. Packing Stations
STRATEGIES
Fruits and vegetables are generally
packed in the field without any
pretreatment.
Some are even transported without any
packaging.
In developed countries on the other hand,
fruits and vegetables are generally
selected, cut, placed in bulk containers
and transported to packing stations
where they are trimmed, sorted, graded,
packed in cartons or crates and cooled.
They are temporarily placed in cool
storage for subsequent loading or are
STRATEGIES
Due to the lack of proper packaging
systems, large volumes of the inedible
portions of vegetables such as cauliflower,
peas, etc. are transported to wholesale
markets from the field. They are discarded
to various degrees and large quantities of
biomass which could be used as value
added products are wasted.

Removal of these inedible vegetable

portions prior to marketing would reduce
both transportation costs and
environmental pollution. These inedible
vegetable parts ultimately undergo
decomposition, cause sanitation problems
and produce gases which are detrimental to
STRATEGIES
3. Primary Processing

Fresh fruits and vegetables are highly

perishable, and must be marketed
immediately after harvesting without
primary processing.
Vegetables such as cauliflower, peas,
leafy vegetables, etc. can be minimally
processed at packing stations
immediately after harvesting.
Processing not only renders these
commodities edible, but also adds value
to them.
STRATEGIES
4. Packaging

Owing to its favorable properties, wood has

remained the main packaging material for fruits
and vegetables.
Packaging has been identified as one of the
most important areas where substitution of
wood is not only possible but also obviously
desirable.
Corrugated fibre board (CFB) containers
consume one third of the wood required for
producing timber boxes of the same size.
Cushioning materials used in the packaging of
fruits and vegetables in wooden boxes include
dry grass, paddy straw, leaves, sawdust, paper
shreds etc., all of which end up as garbage and
STRATEGIES
5. Palletization

With the introduction of CFB boxes,

serious consideration should be
given to the introduction of
palletization and mechanical
loading and unloading of produce
particularly with the use of forklift
trucks, in order to minimize
produce mishandling.
STRATEGIES
6. Storage

The lowest temperature that does not

cause chilling injury is the ideal storage
temperature for fresh fruits and
vegetables.
Mechanical refrigeration is generally used
for the storage of fruits and vegetables.
However, it is energy intensive and
expensive, involves considerable initial
capital investment, and requires
uninterrupted supplies of electricity which
are not always readily available, and
cannot be quickly and easily installed.
STRATEGIES
7. On-farm Storage

On farm storage is required in

remote and inaccessible areas to
reduce losses in highly perishable
fresh horticultural produce.
Low-cost, low-energy,
environmentally friendly cool
chambers made from locally
available materials, and which utilize
the principles of evaporative cooling,
can therefore be developed in
STRATEGIES
8. Control Atmosphere/Modified
Atmosphere Storage

Controlled atmosphere (CA) or modified

atmosphere (MA) storage involves
adjustment of the atmospheric
composition surrounding commodities by
removal (mainly O2) or addition (mainly
CO2) of gases from the environment
surrounding the fruits and vegetables.
MA does not differ in principle from CA
storage except for the fact that the
concentrations of the gases are less
precisely controlled.
STRATEGIES
9. Rapid Transportation System

The use of railways for the transportation

of fruits and vegetables could be greatly
enhanced by: making provisions for
cooling and ventilation, providing
improved handling facilities at platforms
and providing storage space to
accommodate the goods upon arrival at
their destinations.
Similarly road services could be
considerably improved by widening
roads, upgrading surfaces and through
the introduction of one way traffic.
STRATEGIES
10. Cold/Cool Chain

The maintenance of low

temperatures at different stages of
handling helps in reducing losses
and in retaining the quality of fruits
and vegetable.
Consideration should, however, be
given to the development of
alternative cooling systems based
on evaporative cooling techniques.
STRATEGIES
11. Indigenous Fruit Processing

Indigenous fruits can play an

important role in satisfying the
demand for nutritious, delicately
flavored and attractive natural foods
of high therapeutic value.
Some of these fruits are, however,
unappealing in the fresh form, but
offer considerable potential for
processing and marketing.
STRATEGIES
Though some value-added fruit products
are currently being manufactured on a
small scale, no systematic approach has
been made to utilize the potential of
indigenous fruit on a large scale, owing
primarily to the lack of adequate
quantities of raw materials.
Rather than competing in markets where
products are already established, Asia-
Pacific must break new ground and create
markets for value-added products from
its indigenous fruit, which could offer a
competitive advantage.
STRATEGIES
12. Processing of Unmarketable
Fruits and Vegetables and Factory
Waste

Considerable volumes of
unmarketable and physically
damaged fruits and vegetables that
are without infection can be
converted into value added
products by processing.
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
Must articulate a long term vision and
strategy for development of the fruit and
vegetable sector.
Must integrate consideration for all
elements of the supply chain of fruits and
vegetables, from the producer to the
consumer in local, national, regional and
international markets, in order to ensure
that production is linked to market
demand, thereby facilitating and
supporting private sector linkages to new
market opportunities.
Must also invest in the development of
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
Must provide a facilitating policy
environment as well as incentives for
investment in postharvest and value
addition to fruits and vegetables.
Must provide legal and regulatory
frameworks which govern horticultural
chain management and fruit and
vegetable quality and safety (laboratories,
quality assurance and quality control
services).
Must support and strengthen small and
marginal farmers.
Must upgrade the infrastructural facilities.
Thank
You!