Articles

What Are Tomato Harvest Maturity Indices and Are They Crucial?

November 22, 2024 at 5:35 pm | Updated November 22, 2024 at 5:35 pm | 12 min read

Tomatoes are harvested in five maturity or ripening stages, based on use and end-market. Different harvest indices are suitable for the varying ripening stages. Chemical, physical, and chronological harvest maturity indices are commonly used around the globe. Tomato has various uses and is grown for local and long-distance markets. The vegetable is harvested at different… Continue reading…

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How to Improve Fresh Produce Supply Chain Risk Management for Better Food Safety

Supply chain risk management for fresh produce can include macro-level, external, and internal risks. Macro and external risk factors are outside a business’ control and can affect more than one location in the supply chain. Internal risks that cover a business’s operations, processes, and control measures can be managed using controlled atmosphere facilities and monitoring… Continue reading…

How Do the Effects of Ethylene on Flower Quality Impact Floriculture?

Ethylene is one of the main factors affecting flower and ornamental plant quality and longevity in the entire floriculture supply chain. Ethylene inhibits growth, branching, flower bud abortion, and leaf and flower abscission, reducing the quality and longevity of floriculture products. Floriculturists can increase ROI by monitoring and reducing ethylene levels in greenhouses, storage, distribution,… Continue reading…

How Fruit Quality Monitoring Improves Sustainability and Reduces Food Loss

Fruit quality monitoring is an integral part of the fresh produce supply chain. Fruit quality monitoring improves productivity and reduces food loss on farm and postharvest stages to enhance food security and responsible production. The environmental impacts indirectly through quality monitoring are reduced carbon footprint, less water resource depletion and pollution, and better biodiversity protection… Continue reading…

How Does Controlled Atmosphere Storage Extend Fruit Shelf-Life?

Controlled atmosphere temperature and relative humidity are critical for ripening and storage. The three gases that need to be measured and controlled are ethylene, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. Several conditions, including gas composition, are reversed during the ripening and storage stages of the supply chain. Each postharvest stage of fresh produce requires specific conditions to… Continue reading…

How Degreening of Citrus Fruits Enhances Appearance and Quality

Artificial degreening changes only citrus peel color and does not affect other quality parameters. Several citrus factors, like maturity at harvest and cultivar-specific ethylene sensitivity, will influence degreening success. Postharvest degreening is the standard procedure and requires careful consideration of cultivars to determine atmosphere conditions, ethylene concentrations, and exposure duration to achieve the desired results.… Continue reading…

Postharvest Technology for Non-Climacteric Fruits: Best Practices and Benefits

Non-climacteric fruits have a short storage life as they must be harvested ripe. Several steps, like precooling and treatments, prepare the non-climacteric fruits for quality retention. Modified atmospheric packaging, controlled atmospheric storage, and different packaging systems maintain suitable environmental conditions during storing, transportation, and marketing to extend shelf life. Ripening is the last stage of… Continue reading…