ABSTRACT
Heat treatment before postharvest storage or intermittent during storage assists insect disinfestation, disease control, mitigates chilling injury symptoms and is favorable for retention of fruit quality. Optimum temperature and exposure duration vary with the commodity in question and the purpose for which it is employed. Vapor heat treatments and hot water immersion techniques are integrated in the commercial fruit industry for varied purposes like disinfestation, maintenance of fruit quality, lowering chilling stress, and extension of storage life. Its wide usage is credited to ease in application, efficacy, and low cost. It prompts resistance to cold stress and impedes development of chilling injury by modulation of ripening process. In this chapter, techniques of hot water treatments, responses of heat treatments on commodity physiology, fungal invasions and insect infestations of different fruits and vegetables are discussed.
