CRC Press Postharvest Biology and Technology of Horticultural Crops: Principles and Practices for Quality Maintenance

The ultimate goal of crop production is to provide quality produce to consumers at reasonable rates. Most fresh produce is highly perishable, and postharvest losses are significant under the present methods of management in many countries. However, significant achievements have been made during the last few years to curtail postharvest losses in fresh produce and to ensure food security and safety as well. These include advancements in breeding horticultural crops for quality improvement; postharvest physiology; postharvest pathology and entomology; postharvest management of fruits, vegetables, and flowers; nondestructive technologies to assess produce quality; minimal processing of fruits and vegetables; as well as innovations in packaging and storage technology of fresh produce. This new book, Postharvest Biology and Technology of Horticultural Crops: Principles and Practices for Quality Maintenance, describes the above-mentioned advancements in postharvest quality improvement of fresh horticultural produce. This book will be a standard reference work for postharvest management for the fresh produce industry. It presents important new advances that will extend the shelf life of fresh produce by retaining its safety and nutritional or sensory quality. The book covers a multitude of topics, particularly advances in: • Conventional breeding approaches for fruits and vegetables • Storage of fruits and vegetables • Postharvest treatment and smart packaging • Management of pests and other postharvest diseases • Postharvest management of fresh-cut flowers • Management of medicinal and aromatic plants during postharvest • Biotechnological methods for postharvest management Review "A welcome addition to the field of postharvest food preservation. It provides students and researchers with a comprehensive and authoritative understanding of the science and technology underpinning the postharvest preservation of horticultural crops. I highly recommend it to anyone concerned with reducing postharvest losses of food." ―Charles L. Wilson, Founder/Chairman & CEO, World Food Preservation "Very relevant . . . A well-documented account of all the factors―physiological, biochemical, and molecular―have been presented by well-known experts of their respective fields. . . . Excellent for those actively involved in postharvest technology of fruits, vegetables, and other horticultural crops. The book portrays the ‘state of science’ with a comprehensive overview of current insights and knowledge on possible impacts and associated technical and management challenges due to postharvest losses of horticultural crops, especially fruits, flowers, and vegetables. This volume provides the reader with an edifying and comprehensive overview of postharvest biology and technology of horticultural crops from ‘farm to fork’ by discussing how appropriate postharvest technology can improve or maintain the quality of postharvest produce. The evidence-based nature provides justification and rational of the discussions on postharvest biology and technology of fresh commodities. Therefore, I would highly recommend this book to scientific communities with interest in such areas of agri-horticultural and food preservation sciences." ―P. K. Nagar, Associate Editor, Acta Physiologiae Plantarum; Managing Editor, Plant Growth Regulation; Sr. Scientist (retired), IHBT, Palampur, India About the Author Dr. Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui is an assistant professor and scientist in the Department of Food Science and Post-Harvest Technology at Bihar Agricultural University in Sabour, India, and is the author or co-author of 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, 18 book chapters, and 18 conference papers. He has three edited and one authored books to his credit, published by CRC Press, USA; Springer, USA; and Apple Academic Press, USA. Recently, Dr. Siddiqui has established an international peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Postharvest