1. B a s u d e v S h a r m a
M.Sc.Ag. (AgribusinessManagement)
2nd Semester, 3rd Batch
HICAST, Kathmandu
2018 January

2. Introduction
• Fresh vegetables are highly perishable and subject
to the active process of senescence.
• Losses in fresh vegetables can be caused by high
temperature, low atmospheric humidity and
physical injury.
• Such injury often results from careless handling,
causing internal bruising, splitting and skin
breaks, thus rapidly increasing water loss.

3. Introduction
• Post-harvest management can be defined as
methods and techniques applied to increase the
shelf life of the products.
• Postharvest activities include harvesting,
handling, storage, processing, packaging,
transportation and marketing.
• Post-harvest system should be thought of as
encompassing the delivery of a crop from the time
and place of harvest to the time and place of
consumption, with minimum loss, maximum
efficiency and maximum return for all involved

4. Objectives
General Objectives:
• To know the post-harvest management
techniques of fresh vegetables
Specific Objectives:
• To get aware about post-harvest loss & their
control measures
• To recognize marketing channel & possible
losses
• To identify the various post-harvest management
techniques

5. Methodology
• Relevant information are collected from published
documents & other related publications
• Necessary information is also explored from
related web pages.
• Class notes are also taken as reference documents.
• Collected information or data are analyzed with
the help of simple data analysis tools.

6. Quality products are produced
in the fields!
But, the quality of a product is
maintained & enhanced during its
harvest and post-harvest management.

7. Importance of PHM
• Maintain the quality of fresh vegetables.
• Reducing postharvest losses reduces poverty and
food insecurity.
• Increase market share and competitiveness of
smallholders.
• Stimulate agriculture production and prevent post-
harvest losses.
• Provide extra foods to the consumer by reducing
post-harvest losses.
• Improve human nutrition and health.
• It is difficult to increase 10% yield but it is easy to
reduce 10% loss.

8. Post-harvest Losses Vegetable Post-harvest
Training Manual, WVC, 2016

9. Causes of Post-harvest Losses
• Immature/Premature/Over mature harvest.
• Faulty postharvest practices.
• Poor sorting and grading practices.
• Poor temperature & RH management in storage.
• Improper packing & washing.
• Delay & improper transport to market.
• Causes of exogenous factors (rot, insects).
• Lack of knowledge on postharvest techniques.

10. Causes of Post-harvest Losses
• Shrinkage and loss of weight caused by water loss
• Poor air circulation in the stores.
• Limited level of production & small land holdings
• Small, scattered, remotely located production
pockets with limited access to market centers.
• Careless handling, causing internal bruising,
splitting and skin breaks.
• Inadequate modern technologies and skills

11. Causes of Postharvest Losses

12. Types of Post-harvest Losses
• Biological: Pest & Diseases
• Chemical: Visible external contamination with
pesticides & chemical products, toxics and
unpleasant flavor produces by pathogens etc.
• Mechanical: Injuries, cuts, bruises, grazes, drops,
scrapings, shatters during harvesting etc.
• Physical: Heating, cooling, freezing, water loss.
• Physiological: Sprouting, rooting, senescence,
and changes caused by transpiration & respiration

13. Vegetables Marketing Channels
• Farmers - Wholesalers - Retailers - Consumers
• Farmers - Cooperatives - Retailers - Consumers
• Farmers - Cooperatives - Consumers
• Farmers - Pre-harvest Contractors - Wholesaler
- Retailers - Consumers
• Farmers - Local Collectors - Wholesalers -
Retailers - Consumers
• Farmers - Wholesalers - Retailers - Consumers
• Farmers - Wholesalers - Consumers
• Farmers - Consumers

14. Vegetables Marketing Channels
Palawija Newsletter, Vol. 32,
No. 2, Aug 2015, Indonesia

15. Postharvest Chain
• Farm: Harvesting and field handling techniques
• Pack-house: Cleaning, sorting/grading, sanitizing,
microbial control, packaging, cooling and storage
techniques
• Transport: Loading/unloading, stacking and product
protection techniques
• Market: Re-sorting, re-packing, and storage techniques
• Processing: Drying, sauce production, and fermentation

16. Post-harvest Procedures
Harvesting
Reception Pre-cooling
Selection,
Cleaning &
Disinfection
DryingGrading
Other
Treatments
Packing &
Packaging
Storage Transport

17. Post-harvest Procedures
• Tomato, Eggplant, Chili, Cucumber, Bitter Gourd and
Yardlong Bean: Receiving-Sorting-Cleaning/Sanitizing
-Air-drying-Grading-Packing-Storage-Dispatch
• Cauliflower: Receiving-Sorting-Trimming-Packing –
Storage -Dispatch
• Leaf Mustard: Receiving-Sorting/Grading-Trimming/
Cleaning-Air-drying-Packing-Storage- Dispatch
• Cabbages and Chinese Kale: Receiving-Sorting–
Trimming-Bacterial soft rot control-Air-drying– Sizing
– Packing – Storage - Dispatch

18. Harvesting
• Quality cannot be improved after harvest. It is
therefore important to harvest vegetables at
optimum maturity.
• Harvest maturity of vegetables depends upon
the purposes for which it is harvested.
• Harvesting at cooler times of the day minimizes
product heat load and increases work efficiency
of pickers.
• Don’t harvest during rain. If you have to do it,
washed and dried properly before packaging.

19. Maturity
In post-harvest physiology, maturity is considered as
“ that stage at which a commodity has reached a
sufficient stage of development that after
harvesting and post-harvest handling, its quality will
be at least the minimum acceptable to the ultimate
consumer” (Reid, 1992). Types of Maturity:
A) Harvesting Maturity
B) Physiological Maturity
C) Commercial or Horticultural Maturity

20. Maturity

21. Maturity Indices:
• Number of days from fruit set
• Visual indicators
• Shape of fruits
• Color of fruits
• External Appearance
• Texture
• Lenticel number
• Specific gravity
• Starch content
• Soluble solids
• Sugar acid ration
• Oil content
• Oder

22. Curing
• It is technique where commodity is left in the
field itself in a heap under shade for few days.
• It is an effective operation to reduce water loss
during storage from hardy vegetables e.g. onion,
garlic, sweet potato etc.
• In case of onion curing is a drying process
intended to dry off the necks and 2-3 outer scales
of the bulbs to prevent the loss of moisture and
the attack by decay during storage.

23. Cleaning
• This is a treatment given to remove
adhering dust, dirt, extraneous matter,
pathogenic load etc. from the surface of a
commodity.
• Cleaning basically sanitizes the produce
and avoid entry of undesirable contents to
enter the packaging and storage line.
• Cleaning is a broader term and includes,
dusting (dry method), washing (wet
method) etc.

24. Washing
• Washing is done at the pack house through
automated washing system fitted with overhead
sprayers and smooth rotating brushes to clean
and wash the vegetables.
• Washing with clean water mixed with a neutral
detergent at 0.1% (1ml/liter of water) is effective.
• The process of cleaning and washing will take 3-5
minutes. The temperature of water should at
room temperature (270C)

25. Sorting & Grading
Sorting: Undesirable types of vegetables i.e.
diseased, damaged, deformed are removed. It can
be done primarily to reduce spread of infection to
other vegetables.
Grading: Vegetables are categorized according to
difference in their weight, size, color, maturity etc. It
can be done to fetch better price in the market.

26. Brinjal Quality Grading

27. Tomato Quality Grading

28. Cauliflower Quality Grading

29. Packaging
• Its dimensions and design must be suited to the
available transport in order to load neatly and
firmly.
• It must be cost-effective in relation to the market
value of the commodity for which used.
• It must be readily available, preferably from more
than one supplier.
• It can reduce the amount of damage to which
fresh produce is exposed during marketing.
• It should be to prevent physical damage to
produce, and be easy to handle.

30. Packaging Materials

31. Packaging Materials

32. MarketingActivities

33. Storing
• Different vegetables require different storage
conditions.
• Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, squash and
members of onion family are best stored @ 60-
700 F (15.5 - 21.10 C) in a dry location. If stored in
a refrigerator, they will lose flavor and texture.
• Most other vegetables should be stored @
refrigerator temperature.
• Store vegetables away from fruits that emit
ethylene gas, such as bananas. The gas will cause
continued ripening and possible decay.

34. Storing Temperature
• It is a key factor affecting product deteriorating
rate.
• It is the most effective tool for extending the
shelf life of fresh horticultural commodities.
• It has key effects on spores germination and
pathogen growth.
• If the temperature goes abnormal than its
optimal range it has caused two types of injuries
in crops, i.e. chilling injuries and heat injuries.
• So that keeps attention to maintain required
temperature in the vegetable store.

35. Basic characteristics of fresh vegetables

36. Relative
Rate
Respiration @ 50C
(mg CO2/ kg.h)
Climacteric Non-climacteric
Very low <5 Dried fruit and vegetables
Low 5 – 10 Celery, garlic, onion, potato
Moderate 10 – 20 Tomato
Cabbage, celery, cucumber,
Pepper
High 20 - 40
Carrot, cauliflower, leeks,
lettuce, lima bean, radish
Very high 40 - 60
Bean sprouts, broccoli, okra,
Brussel sprouts, green, onions,
snap bean, Watercress
Extremely
high
>60
Asparagus, mushroom, peas,
parsley, spinach, sweet corn
Respiration Rate

37. Effects of Ethylene on Vegetables

38. Perishable Rate

39. Transportation
• Transportation is a big and often the important
factor in the marketing of fresh produce.
• Ideally, transport would take produce from the
grower directly to the consumer.
• Losses directly attributed to transport conditions
can be high.
• The produce be kept in the best possible condition
during transport and that the haulage of produce
be quick and efficient.
• To this end, produce should be properly packaged
and properly loaded on a suitable vehicle.

40. Transport Equipment
• Refrigerated and non-refrigerated vehicles for
highway transport
• Containers for air, rail and highway transport, and
for lift-on/liftoff sea transport
• Break bulk refrigerated vessels for handling
palletised loads
• Pallets - for air cargo and highway transport
• Horse carts, donkeys
• Wheelbarrows and carts for transport over
distances of 1-8 km

41. Transportation Practice
Bad PracticeGood Practice

42. Conclusion & Recommendations
• Do not let more losses means you have contribute
little more to the production.
• It is difficult to increase 10% yield but it is easy to
reduce 10% loss.
• Losses can be caused by different reasons, but
most important are biological, chemical,
mechanical, physical, and physiological.
• Lack of postharvest options has led to total loss of
production.

43. Conclusion & Recommendations
• About 20 to 50% fresh vegetables losses are found
during the period of time between harvesting and
final retail marketing.
• As the numbers of marketing intermediaries are
increases post-harvest losses are also increases
simultaneously.
• Post-harvest management has some constraints or
issues which act as a barrier to minimize post-
harvest losses of fresh vegetables.

44. Conclusion & Recommendations
• Proper post-harvest technologies can minimize the
post-harvest losses.
• Quality cannot be improved after harvest. It is
therefore important to harvest vegetables at
optimum maturity.
• Cleaning, sorting, grading, packaging, storing and
transportation are the major post-harvest activities
and that should be done appropriately & timely.

45. Reference Cited
• http://www.fao.org/3/a-au186e.pdf
• http://afghanag.ucdavis.edu/other-
topic/postharvest/Man_Veg_Postharvst_AVRDC.pdf
• http://postharvest.org/PEF_White_Paper_15-
02_PHFVmeasurement.pdf
• http://www.postharvest.org/postharvest_food_loss_
or_food_waste.aspx
• https://avrdc.org/download/publications/from_the_
field/postharvest/vegetable-pht-training-manual-
english.pdf
• http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnadi433.pdf

46. Reference Cited
• http://www.apo-tokyo.org/00e-books/AG-
18_PostHarvest/AG-18_PostHarvest.pdf
• http://aciar.gov.au/files/node/2249/p105chapter1.pdf
• https://www.extension.iastate.edu/Documents/MCM
S/GAPSpostharvest.pdf
• http://ucanr.edu/sites/Postharvest_Technology_Cente
r_/files/231724.pdf
• http://ucanr.edu/sites/Postharvest_Technology_Cente
r_/files/225608.pdf
• http://www.apo-tokyo.org/00e-books/AG-
18_PostHarvest/AG-18_PostHarvest.pdf

47. Welcome for Comments & Suggestions
for your patience