Postharvest treatment for extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables

A technical overview relates basic advances in knowledge of postharvest physiology to applied procedures for extending the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables, with particular emphasis on the quality of the raw materials used for processing. The need for a systems approach to postharvest handling and an enhanced integration of postharvest physiology with shelf-life evaluation studies also is discussed. Environmental factors that need to be optimized for extending shelf-life are described; viz., storage temperature, humidity, and light, and the use of controlled or modified atmospheres in the storage area. Models used for evaluating shelf-life are summarized.(wz)