Innovative Technology and Postharvest Management Strategies to Improve the Quality and Shelf-Life of Horticultural Products
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2026) | Viewed by 1052
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plant and fruit physiology; orchard management; fruit postharvest quality; technology and management; minimally processed fruits; waste reduction and valorization; sustainability; functional foods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Improving crop quality and shelf-life is a challenge in the context of a global horticultural food supply. Horticultural crops are an important source of organic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals for human nutrition and well-being. Fresh horticultural crops are living tissues that undergo constant changes after harvest; since they contain a lot of water, they are susceptible to mechanical damage and weight loss. As perishable goods with an active metabolism, horticultural commodities are subject to significant postharvest losses due to senescence, physical damage, and microbiological deterioration. Postharvest changes in horticultural crops cannot be stopped, but they can be slowed to a certain extent. Maintaining or enhancing fresh horticulture crops' postharvest life is becoming more and more crucial. In fact, sustaining food quality, reducing waste, and expanding food availability depend heavily on proper postharvest management and technology. Because fresh horticultural crops differ in their composition, morphological structure, and general physiology, different commodities have distinct requirements and recommendations for preserving quality and extending postharvest life. The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight and describe recent and advanced research regarding postharvest management and technology that affects (fresh and processed) horticultural products’ quality, physiology, and shelf-life. In this SI, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: postharvest treatments, as well as management and technology that affect (fresh and processed) horticultural product quality, physiology, and shelf-life.
Dr. Giorgia Liguori
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- fruit postharvest physiology
- fruit postharvest technology
- fruit processing
- fruit handling
- fruit quality
- fruit waste reduction
- fruit safety
- consumer test
- sensory analysis
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