ABSTRACT
The consumption of fruit and vegetables has increased substantially, as they are the pool of essential nutrients, especially vitamins, minerals, certain bioactive compounds, and antioxidants. Moreover, valuable growth in the use of minimally processed fruit and vegetables has been seen because of their ease of use; in fact, changes in food habits and day to day lifestyle have contributed to an increased demand for ready-to-eat horticultural products. In this context, the quality of fresh produce, prospects for contamination, hazards and adulteration during processing, and distribution must be quantified and monitored at each step of unit operation, including handling, processing, and storage. Hence, rapid and sensitive methods must be required to provide adequate and useful information regarding quality attributes, along with quality management systems. This chapter discusses existing technologies in both destructive and non-destructive innovations for measuring ripening, use of growth hormones, quality, and packaging of fruit and vegetables. Besides, a brief description of some advanced techniques, like electronic nose, electronic tongue, and biosensors, are presented. Finally, future challenges on simplification of the mentioned technologies for application in fruits and vegetable industries are investigated.
