Harvesting & Post Production

Practices
 Terms and Definitions
Harvesting
• Separation of the economic yield (whether the
whole plant biomass or the portion of the whole
plant biomass) when crops have reached highest or
optimum level of productivity (physiological maturity
onwards)
 Terms and Definitions
Primary processing
• Postharvest handling that will make the product
suitable for consumers or to prepare it for further
processing
 Terms and Definitions
Secondary processing
• Postharvest handling that results in a product that
cannot be subjected for another change --- includes
food processing in food crops, and industrial
processing in non-food crops
 Maturity Indices
Maturity
• determines quality (fruit, flower, vegetable, root,
grain, or pod), and better ripening, storage,
marketing and consumption
 Maturity Indices
Annuals and Field Crops
1. Growth duration
• Days from germination to flowering or maturity
2. Change in the color
• Grains
• Pods
• Fruits
3. Appearance of senescing foliage
4. Other physical conditions associated with
maturity
 Maturity Indices
Fruits and Vegetables
1. Age
– Based whole plant, fruit, flower, leaf, pod,
etc.
– With reference to time of sowing,
germination, transplanting, flower induction,
flowering, pollination or fruit set
 Maturity Indices
Fruits and Vegetables
1. Age
Crop Age at Harvest
‘Carabao’ mango 120 days from flower induction
‘Lakatan’ banana 13 weeks from shooting
Abaca 18-24 months from planting
Cacao 170 days from fruit set; 5-6 months from flowering
Citrus 5-6 months from flowering
Coconut 9 mo. from button (3 cm) receptivity, 11-12 mo. from flowering
Coffee 8-9 mo. from flowering
Pechay 45 days from sowing
Pineapple 11-12 mo. from flowering; 23-26 mo. from planting
Radish 60 days from sowing
 Maturity Indices
Fruits and Vegetables
2. Size or Weight
– Large fruit  generally more mature than small
one
– Two fruits with comparable size  heavier is
more mature
 Maturity Indices
Fruits and Vegetables
3. Change in color
– Ground color to a tinge of red/yellow 
indication of maturity
– Apparent in: cacao, coconut, tomato,
papaya, santol, and banana
– Mango is overmature at color break on the
tree
 Maturity Indices
Fruits and Vegetables
4. Sound
– Watermelon  mature when a dull sound is
emitted by tapping
– Immature coconut  will not produce a
sound when shaken.

5. Smell
– Durian  ready for harvesting when a slight
smell is detected (S-containing metabolite)
 Maturity Indices

Fruits and Vegetables

6. Appearance
‘Lakatan’ banana minimum angles of the fruit
‘Carabao’ mango full cheeks
Abaca appearance of flagleaf
Bananas (in general) dry leaves
Chico non-green skin when rubbed
Onion/garlic tight neck
Star apple shiny
Sweetsop (atis)/ distended skin
sour sop (guyabano)
Yam/Taro (gabi) dry leaves
 Harvesting and Postharvest Handling
Grain Crops
Harvesting Based on maturity indices
Threshing Separation of grains from straw, cob, pods, etc
Drying Reduction of seed/moisture content from 20-30% at
harvesting/threshing to 12-14% for the ff purposes:
 Prevention of microorganism growth (fungi, etc.)
 Reduction of seed respiration (spoilage)
 Lengthening of pre-milling storage life
 High milling recovery
Storage Grain changes its moisture content to equilibrate with
surrounding air temperature and relative humidity.
 Grain MC of 13-14% is maintained in storage at
70% RH
 A good storage structure to isolate grains from
ambient temperature, with good ventilation, and
RH <70%
Milling  Removal of outer covering (husk or hull)
 dehulling or dehusking process
 Removal of pericarp & testa, and aleurone or
bran & germ  whitening/polishing process
 Milling recovery  62 to >68 (rice)
grading/classification  bagging/packaging  storage/distribution
 Manual
 Mechanical (reapers)
 Manual
 Mechanical (strippers/combines)
 Sun drying (2-3 days)
 Heated air-drying by convection
principle (batch dryer, continuous
flow grain dryer)
 Farm house storage in sacks or
baskets
 Granary for bulk storage/handling
 Warehouse storage in sacks and
bags
 Bulk storage using steel bins and
silos
 Rice mills (dehulling  grading)
 Corn mills (dry-wet process)
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Other Field Crops
1. Fiber Crops (jute, kenaf)
• Harvesting  based on maturity indices
• Fibers  concentrated in bark layer and extracted by:

Retting
– Submergence in water for 9-20 days Process (with action
of anaerobic microorganisms) is complete when bark can
be separated (peeled) from the woody portion
– Stripped fibers are washed, dried for 3-4 days and finally
cleaned of remaining bark tissues
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Other Field Crops
1. Fiber Crops (jute, kenaf)
Decortications by machine
– Direct separation of the fiber and the bark
– Stripped fibers are dried and finally cleaned
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Other Field Crops
2. Root Crops (cassava, sweet potato)
Cassava
• Harvesting based on maturity index
• Should be utilized or processed 48 hrs after harvest
• Recommended storage:
– Piling roots on a bed of straw in a well-drained ground --- covered with
more straw and soil
– Packing of roots in boxes covered with moist sawdust
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Other Field Crops
2. Root Crops (cassava, sweet potato)
Sweet Potato
• Harvesting based on maturity index
• Can be stored for months if properly cured
• Curing --- allowing bruised or peeled areas to self-heal by
exposure to 27-30oC and RH of 85-90% for 7-14 days
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Other Field Crops
3. Sugarcane
• Harvesting based on maturity index
• Pre-/over-mature harvesting reduces tonnage/sucrose yield
• Water shoots, young/damaged stalks reduce sugar yield
• Canes should be milled within 24 hrs --- delayed milling induces
sucrose yield reduction through inversion
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Other Field Crops
4. Tobacco
• Tobacco leaves mature in 60-65 days after transplanting
• Lower leaves are first to mature --- pale green with
yellowing in the edges
• Weekly harvesting of 2-3 leaves --- 25-27 leaves
harvested
• Leaves are classified  poled  cured
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Other Field Crops
4. Tobacco
• Curing done to preserve desirable physical and chemical
changes (e. g., retention of sugar to nicotine ratio)
• Curing methods (yellowing  color fixing  drying):
» Air-curing --- burley or air-cured type
» Sun-curing --- cigar or oriental type
» Flue-curing in barn --- Virginia type
» Bulk-curing --- Virginia
• Cured leaves are classified and graded
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Fruit, Plantation, Vegetable & Ornamental Crops
Postharvest Handling
– After harvest, a produce begins to die having been cut off
from the supply of water and food --- but still alive
carrying out the processes of life: respiration,
transpiration, biochemical reactions, etc.

– Postharvest handling:
i) slows down the processes leading to death of the produce; and
ii) storage is the main tool to prolong the life after harvest
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Fruit, Plantation, Vegetable & Ornamental Crops
Physiological Processes --- during PHH
– Transpiration – weight loss and reduction in quality
– Wilting, shriveling, toughening
– Loss in viability --- recalcitrant seeds
– Determinants --- temperature and RH

– Respiration – loss of food reserves

– CO2, H2O and Energy --- outputs
– High RN  high E (heat) and reduction in C6H12O6
– Determinants --- temperature and RH
 Harvesting and Postharvest
Handling
Fruit, Plantation, Vegetable & Ornamental Crops
Physiological Processes --- during PHH
– Senescence
– deterioration regulated by endogenous factors
– Determinants --- several factors + mainly ethylene

– Injury
–  exit point for moisture
–  entry point for microorganisms
–  enhances ethylene production
Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
1. Temperature and Storage
– Biological processes slow down with a decrease in
temperature
– Commodities stay fresh at low temperatures --- fixed
duration
– Below the critical temperature results to chilling injury
(tropical crops)
• soggy, pitted, turn black, and harden
– Each commodity has an optimum temperature
requirement
Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
2. O2 and CO2 in Modified Atmosphere Storage
– After harvest, respiration is the most important reaction
that leads to deterioration and death
•  food reserves exhausted by the following reaction:

C6H12O6 + O2 CO2 + H2O

– Reaction is reversed by modifying the air (atmosphere)

that surrounds the fruit so that  CO2 level will
increase and O2 will decrease carbohydrates conserved
Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
3. O2, CO2 and Temperature in Controlled
Atmosphere (CA) Storage
– Proper control of O2/CO2 levels + refrigeration
•  more effective in prolonging fruit life
– Uses: inter-island/inter-continental movement of fresh
fruits
Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
4. Temperature and Storage in Sawdust and
Clay Jar
– Water evaporates from the moistened sawdust and
from the water itself in the clay jar.
– As water evaporates it will require heat (heat of
vaporization). The heat will come from the surrounding
and the commodity stored, keeping them cool and fresh
for sometime.
 Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
5. Transpiration and Plastic Packaging
– Transpiration
•  second most important reaction that leads to
deterioration and death
– Packaging in plastic film
•  increase the RH inside the film so that
transpiration will be reduced
– Lower the RH outside the commodity induces faster
rate of transpiration
•  wilting and faster deterioration
 Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
6. Ethylene in Storage
– All plants and plant parts produce ethylene
•  fruits ripen naturally because of ethylene
– Calcium carbide contains no ethylene but can ripen
fruits because of acetylene. The close relationship of
acetylene to ethylene accounts for the ability of the
former to ripen fruits
– Ethephon
•  more effective than CaC2 contains ethylene
– Squash peel and kakawate leaves that causes fruit
ripening due to ethylene emission
Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
7. Ripening vs. Degreening
– Ripening of climacteric fruits  legitimate if change in
fruit color is accompanied by:
• softening  dissolution of Ca, binding agent of pectin
which in turn makes fruits firm
• change in sweetness  starch conversion to simple
sugars
• formation of aromatic oils  nice smell of ripe fruits
• climacteric changes  rise and fall of respiration
• ethylene evolution

Occurrences: mango, banana, papaya, etc.

Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
7. Ripening vs. Degreening
– Climacteric fruits may be harvested unripe (but
mature). Upon ripening they will develop the desirable
attributes (i.e., sweet, soft, aromatic) of a ripe fruit.

– Fruit that do not ripen (no softening, sweetening,

aroma, climacteric, ethylene evolution) are non-
climacteric fruits.

Occurrences: citrus and pineapple

Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
7. Ripening vs. Degreening
– Non-climacteric fruits that are not fully mature at
harvest  will not ripen

– Change in color from green to yellow or green to red,

etc. in non climacteric  just a degreening and not
ripening process
Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
8. Microbes
– Intact fruits (and other commodities) are resistant to
microbes

Example:
Anthracnose is seldom seen on green mangoes due to high
acid content  upon ripening, fruits loss acidity, become
sweet and thus susceptible to microbes.
Considerations and Approaches
in PHH
8. Microbes
– Fungicides and disinfectants are recommended to control
postharvest diseases
• Calcium and sodium hypochlorite --- pesticides
• Water treatment --- control of anthracnose
• Refrigeration and CA storage --- also to control diseases
 Practical Approaches in PHH
• Calcium carbide (CaC2), kakawate leaves, squash
peel
–  ethylene introduction for ripening

• Sawdust/clay jars
–  control of temperature and moisture through evaporative
cooling technique

• Perforated plastic/container
–  control of transpiration and temperature

• Modified atmospheric storage (MAS)

–  control of temperature, O2, CO2
 Maintaining the Quality of
Selected Crops
Banana (export) Tomato Roses Orchids
Harvesting Harvesting Harvesting Harvesting
Pre-sorting Transport to collection Removal of lower leaves (3- Removal of diseased or
shed 5 leaflets remain) drying florets
Trimming Sorting Cutting off stem ends Cutting off stem ends
Washing Packing Putting stem ends to Putting into sealed
appropriate solutions (2 polyethylene bags
hrs) at 0-5oC for 1 week
Grading Storage Putting into sealed Putting stem ends into
 Evaporative polyethylene bags at 0- appropriate
cooling 5oC for 1-2 wks solution
 Cold storage
Weighing Putting stem ends into plain
water or preservation
Fungicide treatment
Labeling
Packaging
Weighing
Loading/Storage
 Primary Processing for Selected
Abaca
Plantation
Coffee (wet) Coffee (dry)
Crops
Cacao Coconut Rubber
Topping or Handpicking of Harvesting Harvesting Harvesting of nuts Tapping
removal of berries
crown leaves
Tumbling or Soaking of berries Drying Seed Dehusking Latex collection after 3
harvesting of to loosen pulp extraction hrs of tapping
pseudostem from pod
Tuxying – Depulping of Dehulling Fermentation Splitting of nuts Pre-classification and
separation of berries with for 3-7 standardization of
bracts with machine days latex based on
fiber rubber content
Cleaning of fiber Fermentation in Grading Drying beans Drying for 16 hrs in Coagulation in
and drying tanks (2-5 to 6-7% smoke kiln or aluminum tanks
days) MC 7 days sun with acetic and
drying formic acid
Grading and baling Washing of coffee Grading Pressing or milling of
parchment coagulates into
sheets
Drying to 12-14% Dripping of wet sheets
MC for 24-48
hrs
Dehulling of Smoking or drying of
parchment by sheets for 5 hrs
mill
Grading Sorting and Grading
What safety precautions do you take
during harvesting and handling of
crops?

Observe and apply the principles of

Tender Loving Care – TLC.
What are the principles of TLC?

-Produce are living organisms

-The produce should be handled

with extra care.
Enumerate the factors affecting
maximum quality harvest.

-High water content

-Energy requiring
-Continued state of change
-Temperature
-Humidity
Enumerate the maturity indices for
vegetable crops.

-Days after planting

-Visual measures (color, size, change
in appearance)
-Physical measures (peel, form, good
small)
What would you do if your harvest
falls on inclement weather?

Re – schedule the day of harvest

What is the importance of storing and
stocking vegetable in cool and dry
place?

-Retain freshness of the prodcuts

-To extend the self life of the
produce
What HACCP principle do you apply in
your work?

-Conduct hazard analysis

-Determine critical limits
-Control/manage risks
Based on your experience, what
measures would you take to avoid
damages on harvest vegetables?

-Harvest crops should be placed in

a cool and dry place
-Apply proper post harvest
handling (Tender Loving Care
principles)
Thank You