INTRODUCTION

The word “harvest” triggers many sensations among people in countries that depend on 
agricultural production. It is the beginning of realizing the gain from all the hard work that
has been put in right from the time of planting, watching the crop grow and bear fruit. It is
celebrated with fervor in many countries, certainly a time to enjoy the reaps of their
bounties. It is a reverberating magic word which gives the farmer the gorgeous images of a
golden field of wheat or paddy ready to be brought home. Imagine the orchards of full 
apple, orange and cherry trees, the fields displaying a multitude of vegetables or the vines
of grapes sagging with fruit.
But however natural or noble it may be when we harvest, the act isn’t all that beneficial 
for the crops going through the harvesting process. For the bulk of fruits and vegetables it 
is a painful act of separation from the mother plant. When we pluck the bunch of grapes, 
chop the head of cabbage, cut the hands of bananas, slash the trunk of sugar cane, pull
the ears of corn, lift the roots of carrots, snap the vines of beans, how can that be
beneficial? This means an abrupt termination of their life. In human law, such acts would
sound grave and warrant a great many punishments. However strange it may sound when
we use the same words with produce, they characterize the various changes that the
produce goes through during the postharvest period. Maybe for a few crops like wheat,
rice and other staple food crops, it may not look that bad since they generally stay on the
plant until their fruits become fully mature and relatively dry. For most produce,
harvesting marks the beginning of the deteriorative process, and the longer the crop is
held (stored) before use, the lower will be its quality. Exceptions may be made in the case
of fruits which attain their optimal quality following a ripening period.

POST HARVEST LOSS AND IMPORTANCE

OF POST HARVEST HANDLING
POST HARVEST LOSS
What is post-harvest loss?
“Loss that occur after harvest till the product reaches consumers.”
It can quantity as well as qualitatively losses. Post-harvest losses are costlier than pre-
harvest in terms of money and labour. Vegetables are highly perishable having moisture
content of (80-90%). They are live commodities and continue their life processes like
respiration and transpiration even after harvest. When the fruit is attached to the parent
plant, water and photosynthates are supplied to it. But losses are not replaced during
postharvest stage and hence the produce depends on its own food reserve and moisture
content with the result they perish fast. Water is lost from the product due to transpiration
and food reserve depleted by respiration.
Table 01 – Post harvest losses in vegetables.

Name of vegetable Post-harvest losses as a percentage of

production
Beans and peas 7-12
Egg plant 10-13
Cabbage 7-15
Cauliflower 10-15
Garlic 1-3
Onion 15-30
Potato 15-20
Tomato 10-20

Reasons for Postharvest losses

Factors which are responsible for post-harvest losses vary widely from place to place and
become more and more complex. The following reasons for postharvest losses are as under:
-
1. Moisture loss causing wilting / shrinkage
2. Loss of photosynthates like carbohydrates, proteins occur
3. Physical damage through pest and diseases attack
4. Physiological loss causing decline in quality
5. Fibre development
6. Greening (Potato)
7. Microbial causes insects and rodents
8. Activity of enzymes of the plant or food
9. Chemical reaction not catalyzed by enzymes of the tissue
10. Physical changes such as freezing, bruising, drying & pressure.

Food losses during various stages

Stage How food loss

Harvesting Edible crops left in field, ploughed into soil,
eaten by pests; timing of harvest not
optimal;
crop damaged during harvesting
Threshing Loss due to poor technique
 Drying, transport and distribution
Storage
Primary processing, cleaning, classification,
hulling, pounding, grinding, packaging,
soaking, winnowing, drying sieving, milling
Secondary processing, mixing, cooking,
frying, molding, cutting, extrusion
Product evaluation and quality control
Packaging
Marketing, selling, distribution
Post-consumer
End of life disposal of food waste / loss at
different stages in supply chain
Quality and quantity loss of during drying,
poor transport infrastructure; loss owning
to spoiling/bruising
Pests and disease attacks, spillage,
contamination; natural drying out of food
Process losses: contamination in process
causes loss of quality
Process losses: contamination in process
causes loss of quality
Product disregarded / out grades in supply
chain
Inappropriate packaging damages
produces: grain spillage from sacks: attack
by pests
Damage during transport; spoilage; poor
handling; losses caused by poor storage
Poor storage / stock management;
discarded before serving; poor food
preparation; expiration
Food waste discarded may be separately
treated, fed to animals, mixed with other
wastes/ landfilled

POST HARVEST HANDLING

Proper postharvest handling and storage of horticultural crops is an important factor in
reducing losses and providing the best quality product to consumers. Controlling the
temperature of the crop and also the time spent at less-than optimal temperatures are the
most important aspects of extending shelf life.

KEY PRINCIPLES OF POSTHARVEST HANDLING

• Reducing the initial temperature of crops as quickly as possible after harvest to close to
their optimal storage temperature is a crucial factor in maintaining quality.
• As produce temperature rises, so does the respiration rate (RR) of the crop. The higher the
respiration rate, the shorter the shelf life of the product.
• As horticultural products cool, their rate of temperature drop slows over the cooling time.
• Initial cooling after harvest using a rapid cooling system will reduce RR quickly. Effective
cooling involves achieving temperature uniformity across the mass of produce. The cooling
system should be adjusted to the specific crop characteristics.

GENERAL BEST PRACTICES TO AVOID POSTHARVEST QUALITY LOSS

• Harvest in the morning when it is cool.
• Keep the product out of direct sunlight.
• Move the product to the sorting facility as soon as possible in order to remove damaged
and diseased produce.
• Cool the product rapidly as soon as possible after harvest using an appropriate cooling
method.
• Minimize rough handling of crop.

Strategies of reducing post-harvest food losses in perishables. (fruits and

vegetables) :
Stage in the food industry Description and strategy
Harvesting Harvesting should be carried out as carefully as possible to
minimize mechanical injury such as scratches, punctures and
bruises to the crop. The time of the day when harvesting is
done also affects produce quality and shelf-life. In general,
harvesting during the coolest time of the day (early
morning) is desirable; the produce is not exposed to the
heat of the sun and the work efficiency of the harvesters is
higher. If harvesting during the hotter part of the day cannot
be avoided, the produce should be kept shaded in the field
to minimize product weight loss and wilting.
Handling Mechanical injury provides sites for pest attack and
increases physiological losses. Therefore, avoid mechanical
injury to the crop while handling. Because of their soft
texture, all horticultural products (fruits and vegetables)
should be handled gently to minimize bruising and breaking
of the skin. The skin of horticultural products is an effective
barrier to most of the opportunistic bacteria and fungi that
cause rotting of the tissues. Breaking of the skin also
stimulates physiological deterioration and dehydration.
Reducing the number of times the commodity is handled
reduces the extent of mechanical damage.
Sorting and cleaning Systematic sorting or grading coupled with appropriate
packaging and storage, will extend shelf life, maintain
wholesomeness, freshness, and quality, and substantially
reduce losses and marketing costs. Sorting is done to
separate poor produce from good produce, and further
classify the good produce based on other quality parameters
like size
Packaging Proper packing is essential to maintain the freshness of leafy
vegetable. Packaging should be designed to prevent
premature deterioration in product quality, in addition to
 serving as a handling unit. Use clean, smooth
and ventilated containers for packaging. This is a very
important factor in cutting down losses in these crops during
harvesting, transportation, marketing and storage. Use
containers that are appropriate for the crop.
Transportation Minimizing losses during transport necessitates special
attention to vehicles, equipment, infrastructure, and
handling. Load and unload transport vehicles carefully. Use
clean, well-ventilated vehicle covered at the top for
transportation. Transport crops during the cool part of the
day by driving carefully over smooth roads to minimize
damage to crop. Fresh produce must not be watered prior
to loading, as this will lead to decay, rotting, and extensive
losses. Major causes of losses are improper handling during
loading and unloading.
Storage Only crops with high initial quality can be stored
successfully; it is therefore essential to ensure that only
crops of the highest quality (mature, undamaged) are
stored. Shelf life can be extended by maintaining a
commodity at its optimal temperature, relative humidity
and environmental conditions.
Processing Processing is an important value-added activity that
stabilizes and diversifies food supplies and creates
employment and income opportunities. It can minimize the
high perishability problem of leafy vegetables. Processed
products are also more stable, have improved digestibility,
and permit a better diet diversity, giving consumers access
to a wider choice of products and a wider range of vitamins
and minerals. Few processing technologies are listed:
Drying, salting, fermenting, and pickling.

APPLICATIONS OF POST HARVEST

TECHNOLOGY
(DRAGONFRUIT)
HARVESTING
Fruiting season starts early May with a peak during months of July to October. The crop will
bear fruit until November.
Maturity Indices
Dragon fruit are generally harvested close to full ripe stage because they do not continue
ripening after harvest. As the fruit matures and ripens, skin colour changes to red or yellow,
total soluble solids (TSS) increases to a peak, and titratable acidity (TA) as well as flesh
firmness start decreasing. The commonly-used maturity indices are days after flowering
(minimum of 27 to 33 days, depending on cultivar and production area) and intensity of red
or yellow skin colour.

Quality indices
Skin colour (red, purple, or yellow)
Absence of defects, including insect damage, skin splitting, mechanical damage, chilling
injury, water loss, and decay.
The flesh can be white (Hylocereus undatus) or various hues of red (Hylocereus polyhizus),
depending on the species and cultivar.

Optimum Temperature
Red pitaya (Hylocereus undatus and H. polyrhizus) and yellow clones of H. undatus: 10°C
(50°F)
Yellow pitaya (Selenicereus megalanthus) : 6°C
(43°F)

Potential Postharvest Life

4 weeks (depending on growing location and maturity)

Optimum Relative Humidity

85-90%

Rates of Respiration
41-79 ml CO2/kg.h at 20-23°C (68-73°F)

Rates of Ethylene Production

0.01-0.09 µl C2H4/kg•h during fruit growth and development. Ethylene production does not
increase during fruit ripening. Based on the pattern of CO2 and C2H4 production, pitaya is a
non-climacteric fruit.

Responses to Ethylene
Ripening changes in the fruit are independent of ethylene. Ethylene treatment has no effect
on the initiation of fruit colour development.
Responses to Controlled and Modified Atmospheres
Modified atmosphere studies show that fruit harvested 30 days after flowering and stored
in modified atmosphere bags with oxygen, transmission rate of 4 L m-2 day-1 for 5 weeks at
10°C (50°F) had less dehydration and scale wilting, and better maintenance of fruit colour
with greener scales compared to fruit stored without bags at the same temperature. It is
unknown how much benefit is due to a modified atmosphere as compared to the higher
relative humidity within the bags. More mature fruit and storage at higher temperatures
reduces the beneficial effects of modified atmospheres.

HANDLING AND PACK HOUSE OPERATIONS

Pack house operations
Pre cooling
Pre-cooling is the process of removing field heat from the harvested commodity, particularly
when harvested during hot weather. Pre-cooling helps in decreasing rate of transpiration
and respiration delayed ripening and easing the load on the cooling system of transport or
storage chambers. There are several methods of pre-cooling process as
a) Room cooling
b) Hydro-cooling
c) Contact icing
d) Vaccum cooling
Most practical solution to cool the fruits faster was to hold fruits in the storage at high air
flow near the evaporator fans for 2-3 days. Overnight cooling would require the use of
forced air or “precooling” system.
Sizing
Best quality and biggest dragon fruit in the world are often divide in to two size categories
basing on the weight of dragon fruit.
Small size : 300 – 450g per dragon fruit
Large size : 460g + per dragon fruit
Grading
Dragon fruits are mainly sorted in to 3 grades.
Grade 1 : Outstanding quality for exporting with the defecting surface is less than 2
2
cm . The green skin is not acceptable. This grade can be exported by air, by sea and by
trucking.
Grade 2 : Good quality for exporting with the defecting surface about 2-4 cm 2. The
green skin is acceptable. This grade can be exported by trucking for local market because of
short shelf life.
Grade 3 : Not in good quality because of virus, bacteria on the skin. This grade is left
at dragon fruit farms when harvesting or left at dragon fruit packaging houses when sorting.
Cleaning
In normal packing house practice for dragon fruit, stems were trimmed and the fruits were
washed in clean water. They were then soaked in a specific solution and dried by fan before
being packed in perforated polyethylene bags. Next, fruits are packed in a carton box with a
capacity of 9 fruits. Each box only contains one layer of fruits to preserve fruit quality. The
carton boxes were then loaded in refrigerated containers.
Waxing
For some dragon fruits rice bran wax is applied. After harvesting in commercial maturity,
dipped in a coating solution with 0.1% rice bran wax. After that those are keep in 10°C. Due
to apply of wax it delays weight loss, reduction of firmness and colour change of the peel
and bract of dragon fruit. Also the shelf life can be extended up to 21 days whereas shelf life
of non-waxed dragon fruit is 12 days.
Chemical treatments
Dragon fruits are treated with salicyclic acid and methyl jasmonate. After treating fruits are
stored at 6°C for 21 days for assess quality and antioxidant activity. salicyclic acid treatment
delay ripening and enhance antioxidant activity. methyl jasmonate enhance the betacyanin
content and antioxidant activity under cold storage.

STORAGE
The recommended storage temperature for dragon fruit is 10°C (50°F), since 6°C (42.8°F)
can induce chilling injury. The lower temperature (6°C) has been recommended for the
yellow pitaya Selenicereus megalanthus, and this agrees with minimum growth temperature
of 7°C ( 44.6°F) for this species. Dragon fruit has a storage-life of about 14 days at 10°C
(50°F), while at 5°C (41°F) and 90% relative humidity a storage-life of 17 days can be
achieved if the fruit is harvested 30 to 35 days from flowering. However, 5°C (41°F) may lead
to chilling injury upon return to 20°C (68°F), indicated by deterioration of peel and flesh, and
inferior taste. Hence, 10°C (50°F) for a maximum of 14 days may be a better recommended
storage temperature.
TRANSPORTATION
Dragon fruit is native to South America (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico).
Although native to South American regions, it is now commercially cultivated and widely distributed
in many countries with tropical and sub-tropical climates, Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and
Israel. Mainly, dragon fruit is an exporting fruit commodity. So before exporting (transporting)
special procedure should follow in order to minimize the loss. First, dragon fruits are subjected to
heat vapor method for 40 minutes at 46.5°C, with at least 90% humidity. When transporting
packaging containing dragon fruit must be made from synthetic materials or highly processed
vegetable material. Packaging should not include unprocessed vegetable materials such as straw.
Individual cartons or packaging must be labelled with a unique identifier to facilitate traceability.

HANDLING AT WHOLESALE AND RETAIL MARKET

If the fruits are moved in and out of cold storage, shelf life is drastically reduced. This happens often
when the fruits are brought from storage for sale and moved in to stores again if they are unsold.
The skins of stored fruits become thinner as water moves in to the flesh from the skin, but they have
high sugar levels although the taste will be less. The frozen pulp is also sold in some market. The
marketing of frozen pulp is an alternate method, which is becoming popular, as the product is not
subjected to quarantine for fruit fly.
VALUE ADDITION
Processing is important to produce value added products from the edible and non-edible parts of
the fruit and plant, and at the same time, minimize the problem of fruit perishability and waste
disposal. A series of studies have conducted to optimize the processing of wine from fruit pulp,
betacyanin and jam from fruit peel, soft drink from plant stem, and tea from flowers. Also it is used
as a flavor in beverage industry, red and pink pulp of dragon fruit as a colouring agent. Flowering
buds used to make soups and mixed with salads. It is also used to produce industrialized products
such as preserve, ice cream, sherbet syrup, yoghurt, candy, pastry, spread, ketchup, fruit juice.

CONCLUSION
According to the studies conducted regarding dragon fruit, the present post-harvest practices would
be acceptable in the dry season. However, it could result in high rot incidence in wet season. Dragon
fruit pre cooled before being loaded in to the container resulted in better temperature control
during shipping. The better temperature control resulted in dragon fruits with better bract green
colour and lower rot incidence.

REFERENCES
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325191316_Postharvest_handling_of_dragon_fruit_Hylo
cereus_spp_in_the_Philippines

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-90162013000400006

https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/siddunagu/dragon-fruit-procssing-and-value-addtion

http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US201400131418

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925521406000858

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