Instant Insights: Fruit Losses and Waste

Professor Elhadi M. Yahia is Emeritus Professor (Investigador Nacional Emerito) at the Autonomous University of Querétaro, Mexico. He is also a Courtesy Professor at the University of Florida, USA. Professor Yahia has published 20 books in 3 languages and more than 400 book chapters and articles on post-harvest handling of fresh produce. He has worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) where he helped launch the Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. He has served as a consultant to many organizations such as the FAO, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO), USAID, USDA and ICARDA. He is member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the New York Academy of Sciences, The Scientific Research Society (Sigma Xi) and The Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) of the World Food Logistics Organization. Professor Chris Watkins is Herman H. Cohn Professor of Horticulture and Associate Dean at Cornell University and Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension. An internationally-renowned expert on postharvest physiology, and a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science. He is the current Chair of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) Division for Postharvest and Quality Assurance, and a member of the editorial board of the journal Postharvest Biology and Technology. Dr Avtar Handa as Professor of Horticulture at Purdue University, USA and is internationally-renowned for his research on tomato physiology. Dr Autar Mattoo is Research Leader of the Vegetable Laboratory at the USDA’s Henry A. Wallace Research Center, USA is internationally-renowned for his research on tomato physiology.

• Chapter 1 - Losses and waste in fruits and vegetables: Elhadi M. Yahia, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Mexico; and Jorge M. Fonseca, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Italy; 1 Introduction2 The magnitude of losses and waste of fruit and vegetables3 Causes of losses and waste4 Primary and secondary causes of losses and waste5 Under-explored factors in losses and waste6 Issues in estimation of losses and waste7 Strategies to prevent losses and waste8 Conclusions9 Where to look for further information10 ReferencesChapter 2 - Pre- and post-harvest strategies to optimize fruit quality and shelf life: Peter Toivonen, Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada; 1 Introduction2 Managing biological variance to improve the success of post-harvest technologies3 Measuring harvest maturity4 Improved sorting operations5 Post-harvest technologies and temperature control6 Case study: post-harvest strategies in cherry cultivation in British Columbia7 Conclusion8 Where to look for further information9 ReferencesChapter 3 - Advances in postharvest handling and storage of apples: Christopher B. Watkins, Cornell University, USA; 1 Introduction2 Fruit quality assessment3 Harvest maturity and harvest indices4 Plant growth regulators5 Harvest, handling and grading operations6 Postharvest storage technologies7 Comparing and assessing storage technologies8 Postharvest treatments9 Physiological disorders10 Summary11 Where to look for further information12 ReferencesChapter 4 - Post-harvest storage management of mango fruit: Noam Alkan, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Volcani Center, Israel; and Anirudh Kumar, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Volcani Center, Israel and Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), India; 1 Introduction: the mango fruit2 Harvest operations3 Post-harvest operations: managing mango fruit diseases4 Post-harvest operations: use of ethylene, 1-MCP, modified and controlled atmospheres, waxes and edible coatings5 Post-harvest operations: quarantine treatments6 Preparing fruit for market7 Conclusions8 Where to look for further information9 Abbreviations10 ReferencesChapter 5 - Understanding and improving the shelf life of tomatoes: K. Wang and A. K. Handa, Purdue University, USA; and A. K. Mattoo, USDA-ARS, USA; 1 Introduction2 Natural variability3 Ripening mutants4 Molecular determinants5 Role of cell wall proteins6 Role of epidermal waxes7 Hormonal regulation8 Controlling pathogen-based impairments9 Pre-harvest strategies10 Post-harvest chemical application11 Post-harvest management12 Conclusion and future trends13 Where to look for further information14 Acknowledgements15 References