ISHS Acta Horticulturae 770: XXVII International Horticultural Congress - IHC2006: International Symposium on Cultivation and Utilization of Asian, Sub-tropical, and Underutilized Horticultural Crops
POSTHARVEST REQUIREMENTS FOR UNDERUTILIZED TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUIT CROPS |
| Author: | E.W. Hewett |
| Keywords: | fruit quality, selection and breeding, preharvest factors, harvest maturity, ethylene, storage, supply chains, education and training, marketing and promotion |
| Abstract:
Wealthy supermarket consumers in many parts of the world are seeking diversity and novelty in fruits and are prepared to pay high prices for products that look attractive, have a striking colour and/or shape, are new on the shelves and are known to possess some new or traditional health benefit. On the other hand such fruit is likely to play a traditional role as a seasonal food or have medicinal or healing properties for many people living in the rural tropics and subtropics. There are a wide diversity of trees and vines growing in the tropics and subtropics that produce fruit known and used locally but that are unknown the rest of the world. The majority of tropical and subtropical fruits are very perishable with limited postharvest shelf life. There are a number of postharvest issues that need to be resolved in the process of making an underutilized fruit a commercial success including: develop harvesting tools; establish optimum harvest maturity; determine the production of, and susceptibility to ethylene; evaluate methods to regulate ethylene biosynthesis and action; establish optimum temperature, atmosphere and humidity conditions for storage, including chilling sensitivity; analyze fruit composition at harvest and during storage; refine and improve efficiency of any existing processing methods; develop new processed products; develop cultivars with superior taste and flavour; seek dwarfing rootstocks; utilize appropriate fruit sorting technologies; develop and implement international quality standards; develop appropriate packaging, storage and distribution systems; develop a vertically integrated supply chain from field to market; evaluate consumer preference; produce enough product and spend large on market promotion. | |
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