Postharvest Technologies for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable: Developments for Loss Reduction During Handling and Storage

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 2896

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Interests: preservation technology and equipment for fruit and vegetable; new methods to extend the preservation period of fruit and vegetable; functional packaging materials in food preservation
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Guest Editor
Institute of Crop Breeding and Cultivation, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Science, Shanghai 201403, China
Interests: postharvest biology; postharvest technologies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The extent of fruit and vegetable loss reaches up to 40–50 % in some countries, and the post-harvest loss of fruit and vegetable is a global problem. Thus, reducing fruit and vegetable loss is one of the keys for enabling sustainable supply in the future. The reduction in fruit and vegetable losses will require the development and implementation of novel post-harvest technologies and equipment to maintain quality during handling and storage.

In this Special Issue, we invite submissions related to post-harvest technologies, equipment, packaging and cold chain management for fruit and vegetables. All aspects of the technological innovations, smart labels, functional packaging, and cold chain managements in reducing post-harvest losses of fresh fruit and vegetable will all be considered, including their mechanisms. Research articles and review articles are welcome.

Dr. Hongsheng Zhou
Prof. Dr. Yongjin Qiao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • post-harvest biology
  • post-harvest technological innovations
  • innovations in equipment
  • packaging
  • smart label
  • post-harvest handling and storage
  • chain management

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 4328 KiB  
Article
Construction of Composite Microorganisms and Their Physiological Mechanisms of Postharvest Disease Control in Red Grapes
by Jingwei Chen, Kaili Wang, Esa Abiso Godana, Dhanasekaran Solairaj, Qiya Yang and Hongyin Zhang
Foods 2025, 14(3), 408; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030408 - 26 Jan 2025
Viewed by 872
Abstract
Red grapes often suffer from postharvest diseases like blue mold and black mold caused by Penicillium expansum and Aspergillus niger. Biological control using beneficial yeasts and bacteria is an effective method to manage these diseases. Rhodotorula sp. and Bacillus sp. are effective [...] Read more.
Red grapes often suffer from postharvest diseases like blue mold and black mold caused by Penicillium expansum and Aspergillus niger. Biological control using beneficial yeasts and bacteria is an effective method to manage these diseases. Rhodotorula sp. and Bacillus sp. are effective microorganisms for the control of postharvest diseases of red grapes. This study combined two yeast strains (Rhodotorula graminis and Rhodotorula babjevae) and two bacterial strains (Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus velezensis) to investigate their biological control effects on major postharvest diseases of red grapes and explore the underlying physiological mechanisms. Research showed that compound microorganism W3 outperformed the others; it reduced spore germination and germ tube growth of P. expansum and A. niger, while its volatiles further inhibited pathogen growth. Additionally, the treatment enhanced the antioxidant capacity of grapes and increased resistance to pathogens by boosting peroxidase activities, superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonolyase, and polyphenol oxidase. Furthermore, the combined treatment increased the activity and accumulation of antifungal compounds such as total phenols and flavonoids, thereby improving disease resistance and reducing decay. Therefore, composite microorganisms combining various antagonistic strains may offer a viable substitute for tackling postharvest diseases in red grapes. Full article
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16 pages, 5642 KiB  
Article
Kadozan Chitosan Formulation Enhances Postharvest Quality of Fresh Indian Jujube Fruit
by Lian Chen, Yixiong Lin, Hui Li, Qingqing Liu and Yihui Chen
Foods 2025, 14(2), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14020266 - 15 Jan 2025
Viewed by 733
Abstract
Indian jujube fruit is prone to perishing, resulting in a shorter shelf life after harvest. Kadozan is a liquid chitosan formulation that has a significant effect on fruit preservation. In order to explore its efficacy, the quality, and storability indicators of Indian jujube [...] Read more.
Indian jujube fruit is prone to perishing, resulting in a shorter shelf life after harvest. Kadozan is a liquid chitosan formulation that has a significant effect on fruit preservation. In order to explore its efficacy, the quality, and storability indicators of Indian jujube fruit were evaluated during storage at 15 ± 1 °C for 18 days. Results showed that Kadozan-treated fruit exhibited lower respiration rate, relative electrolyte leakage rate, weight loss, and decay index, along with higher firmness and commercially acceptable rate. Furthermore, Kadozan-treated fruit showed higher vitamin C, total sugar, titratable acid, total soluble solids, chlorophyll, and carotenoid contents, L* and h° values, but lower a* and b* values. Principal component analysis and comprehensive score revealed that Kadozan treatment helped preserve the appearance and nutritional qualities of Indian jujube fruit. The best effect was seen with 1:600 Kadozan among three concentrations (1:300, 1:600, 1:900). It was discovered that the commercially acceptable rate of 1:600 Kadozan-treated fruit was 37.5% higher than control fruit while the decay index was 30.5% lower than control fruit at 18 days. Therefore, Kadozan treatment has great substantial implications for the preservation of Indian jujube fruit, providing practical guidance for reducing its postharvest losses. Full article
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18 pages, 4969 KiB  
Article
Postharvest Immersion in Slightly Acidic Electrolyzed Water Improves Guava Storability by Regulating Phenylpropane Metabolism
by Hongbin Chen, Shujuan Feng, Yazhen Chen, Xuanjing Jiang, Yuzhao Lin and Yihui Chen
Foods 2024, 13(23), 3850; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233850 - 28 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 655
Abstract
Postharvest guava fruit are at high risk of decay and spoilage, which extremely restrains the further advancement of guava industry in China. Currently, slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) has been shown to be potent in maintaining the storability of fruits and vegetables. Accordingly, [...] Read more.
Postharvest guava fruit are at high risk of decay and spoilage, which extremely restrains the further advancement of guava industry in China. Currently, slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) has been shown to be potent in maintaining the storability of fruits and vegetables. Accordingly, this work was designed to figure out the effectiveness of SAEW on storability maintenance in postharvest guavas via regulating the phenylpropane metabolism. On the harvest day, fresh guavas were immersed in distilled water or SAEW (available chlorine concentration: 30 mg L−1) for 10 min, followed by storage for 15 d (25 °C, 80% RH). Results showed that, in comparation with the control guavas, SAEW-treated guavas exhibited lower levels of fruit disease index, malondialdehyde, and cell membrane permeability, while showing higher levels of fruit firmness and commercially acceptable fruit rate, as evidenced by enhanced contents of titratable acid, total soluble solids, vitamin C, total soluble sugar, and reducing sugar. Moreover, SAEW treatment improved the activities of disease-resistance enzymes and the contents of sinapic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, and lignin. The above data revealed that SAEW treatment-enhanced storability of guavas was attributed to the increased disease-resistance enzyme activities and disease-resistance substance contents, which improved the fruit disease resistance and slowed down the disease occurrence. Full article
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