Postharvest Quality and Microbiological Control of Fruit and Vegetables

Dear Colleagues,

The purpose of this Special Issue, “Postharvest Quality and Microbiological Control of Fruit and Vegetables”, is to disseminate research focused on preserving fruit and vegetables through innovative methods or novel applications of existing techniques.

Post-harvest techniques play a crucial role in determining the final quality and shelf life of fruit and vegetables. The proliferation of microorganisms is one of the main causes of fruit spoilage. Due to their high perishability, fruit and vegetables are among the food products with the highest levels of loss and waste (FLW). Reducing these losses is essential to contributing to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, particularly target 12.3 which aims to halve global per capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030, and to reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. It is essential to identify the causes of post-harvest losses and to develop study methods that extend shelf life while preserving the nutritional and sensory quality of fruit and vegetables at the time of consumption. These methods must also align with consumer expectations for healthy, environmentally friendly products free from chemical additives. Addressing this challenge requires a timely and decisive response.

Dr. Ana Cristina Agulheiro Santos
Dr. Miguel Elias
Guest Editors

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.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 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.