Postharvest Storage and Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 January 2025) | Viewed by 3635

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Industry, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan
Interests: post-harvest processing and preservation; horticultural crops

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate Institute of Food Culture and Innovation, National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, No.1, Songhe Rd., Xiaogang Dist., Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Interests: wine; fermentation; bioactive compounds; food process
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent academic research on "Postharvest storage and preservation of fruits and vegetables" covers a number of important topics and related areas.

Improvements in storage technologies and methods: Researchers are exploring a variety of innovative storage technologies and methods, including controlled atmosphere storage, temperature management, packaging technology, ethylene removal, and chemical treatments, to extend the storage life of fruits and vegetables.

Reduction of quality and nutrient losses: Research focuses on reducing the weight loss, spoilage, and nutrient loss of fruits and vegetables during storage and transportation, through appropriate storage conditions and handling methods.

Understanding of biological and physiological mechanisms: Scientists are studying the biological and physiological mechanisms of fruits and vegetables during storage, including respiration rate, ethylene production, and sensing, cell wall breakdown, enzyme activity, etc., to reveal their impact on storage life and quality.

Application of new technologies: Emerging technologies such as non-destructive testing, genetic improvement, and gene editing are being applied to improve the storage and preservation effects of fruits and vegetables, and to reduce the impact on the environment.

Research on post-storage treatment technology: Researchers are also paying attention to the development of post-storage treatment technology, such as post-storage treatment in a controlled atmosphere, chemical treatment, heat treatment, and ultraviolet treatment, to further extend the storage life of the product and maintain its quality.

These research topics cover a wide range from basic science to applied technology, helping to improve the later storage and preservation of fruits and vegetables and ensuring the safety and sustainability of the food supply.

Dr. Chihyao Hou
Dr. Yushen Liang
Dr. Ming-Kuei Shih
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Foods 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 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.

Keywords

  • postharvest storage
  • fruit preservation
  • vegetable storage
  • food quality preservation
  • fresh produce handling

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 3154 KiB  
Article
Effect of Postharvest Storage Temperature and Duration on Tomato Fruit Quality
by Xueou Li, Huofeng Huang, Lida Zhang and Lingxia Zhao
Foods 2025, 14(6), 1002; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14061002 - 15 Mar 2025
Viewed by 985
Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a leading vegetable crop of significant economic importance, is a valuable source of nutrients and minerals in the human diet. Consumer and breeder interest focuses extensively on tomato quality attributes, including appearance, texture, flavor, and nutritional value. While [...] Read more.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a leading vegetable crop of significant economic importance, is a valuable source of nutrients and minerals in the human diet. Consumer and breeder interest focuses extensively on tomato quality attributes, including appearance, texture, flavor, and nutritional value. While moderate low temperatures are generally beneficial for preserving tomato quality during transportation and storage, the precise effects of storage temperature on these qualities remain to be fully elucidated. This study investigated the changes in quality attributes of tomato (cv. Shangjiao No.2) fruit stored at different temperatures (4 °C, 14 °C, and 24 °C) for varying durations (0, 1, 5, 9, and 15 days postharvest, dph). Results showed that low temperatures (4 °C and 14 °C) were beneficial for maintaining fruit appearance and total soluble solids (TSS) content. Furthermore, 4 °C storage effectively delayed ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) loss. Storage at both 4 °C and 14 °C similarly and significantly reduced fruit softening and water loss rate (WLR). This reduction was associated with the temperature-regulated expression of cell wall-related genes, including SlCESA6, SlCEL2, SlEXP1, and SlPL. The activities of cell wall-degrading enzymes, such as polygalacturonase (PG), β-galactosidase (β-Gal), and cellulase, were also significantly inhibited at lower storage temperatures. Additionally, storage at 24 °C caused considerable damage to plastid ultrastructure. Although temperature had a minor effect on carotenoid, the reduction in carotenoid levels was less pronounced at 4 °C. While low-temperature storage suppressed the release of some aroma compounds, it also reduced the levels of undesirable volatiles. This study provides insights for optimizing storage temperature and duration to maintain tomato fruit quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Storage and Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4875 KiB  
Article
Carbon Dots-Mediated Photodynamic Treatment Reduces Postharvest Senescence and Decay of Grapes by Regulating the Antioxidant System
by Zhi-Jing Ni, Ying Xue, Wei Wang, Juan Du, Kiran Thakur, Wen-Ping Ma and Zhao-Jun Wei
Foods 2024, 13(17), 2717; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13172717 - 27 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1194
Abstract
Grapes are susceptible to mold and decay during postharvest storage, and developing new technologies to extend their storage period has important application value. Photodynamic technology (PDT) in concurrence with carbon dots (CDs) proposes an innovative and eco-friendly preservation strategy. We examined the effects [...] Read more.
Grapes are susceptible to mold and decay during postharvest storage, and developing new technologies to extend their storage period has important application value. Photodynamic technology (PDT) in concurrence with carbon dots (CDs) proposes an innovative and eco-friendly preservation strategy. We examined the effects of carbon dots combined with photodynamic treatment on postharvest senescence and antioxidant system of table grape. The compounding of photodynamic technology with a 0.06 g L−1 CDs solution could possibly extend the postharvest storage period of grape berries. Through this strategy, we achieved a decreased rate of fruit rotting and weight loss alongside the delayed deterioration of fruit firmness, soluble solids, and titratable acid. As paired with photodynamic technology, CDs considerably decreased the postharvest storage loss of phenols, flavonoids, and reducing sugars as compared to the control group. Concurrently, it remarkably postponed the build-up of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2∙−), and malondialdehyde (MDA); elevated the levels of reduced ascorbic acid (AsA) and reduced glutathione (GSH); lowered the levels of dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG); raised the ratios of AsA/DHA and GSSH/GSSG; encouraged the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL); and inhibited the activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and lipoxygenase (LOX). Furthermore, it enhanced the iron reduction antioxidant capacity (FRAP) and DPPH radical scavenging capacity of grape berries. CDs combined with photodynamic treatment could efficiently lessen postharvest senescence and decay of grape berry while extending the storage time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Storage and Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop