ABSTRACT
The quality of fruits and vegetables deteriorates progressively after harvest within a short time due to a series of physical, physiological, and pathological agents the produce is exposed to before reaching a consumer or a processor. Both quantitative and qualitative losses anywhere along the chain occur in the field, during packaging, storage, distribution, and transportation. Postharvest management practices facilitate the continuous supply of fruits and vegetables to fresh, minimally processed, and processed markets. A good quality processed product can only be possible when good quality raw materials are used in its manufacture. Postharvest treatments generally aim at preserving and/or enhancing the quality of fruits and vegetables by controlling the physiological, mechanical, and pathological agents responsible for both postharvest losses and degradation of quality. Heat treatment can also assist in controlling the postharvest disorders and enhancing the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by the formation of areas of amorphous wax and fewer surface cracks in apples after heat treatment.
