Factors affecting postharvest quality during storage of agricultural produce: a comprehensive review
Food Preservation
The tomatoes, apples, and greens you harvest or buy degrade faster than they should because of invisible forces — gas buildup, temperature swings, and microbial pressure — and knowing which lever matters most can double how long your harvest stays edible.
After you pick a fruit or vegetable, it doesn't just sit still — it keeps breathing, releasing ripening gases, and slowly breaking down. This review maps out all the hidden forces that speed up that decay: things like warmth, moisture, bruising, and bacteria. By understanding and controlling these factors, farmers and food handlers (and even home gardeners with a root cellar) can keep produce fresh, nutritious, and safe for far longer.
Key Findings
Temperature is the single most critical factor in postharvest quality, with even small deviations accelerating respiration rates and microbial growth exponentially.
Ethylene gas — produced by the produce itself — acts as a ripening trigger that can be managed through atmospheric controls or chemical inhibitors to extend shelf life.
Preharvest conditions (soil nutrition, irrigation timing, harvest maturity) significantly influence how long produce survives storage, meaning quality is partly determined before the crop ever leaves the field.
chevron_right Technical Summary
This review examines every major factor that causes fruits, vegetables, and other harvested crops to lose quality during storage — from temperature and humidity to ethylene gas, microbes, and packaging — and synthesizes what growers and handlers can do to keep produce fresh longer and reduce food waste.
Abstract Preview
Postharvest deterioration of agricultural produce represents a critical constraint to global food security, economic sustainability, and nutritional availability. Quality degradation during storage...
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