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Agronomy
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Advances in Fruit Postharvest Physiology and Technology
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Advances in Fruit Postharvest Physiology and Technology

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2022) | Viewed by 12418

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giorgia Liguori

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: fruit quality; fruit physiology; fruit postharvest physiology and technology; fruit processing; plant physiology; fruit sustainable processing and treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Noemi Tel-Zur

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Sede Boqer Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer 84990, Israel
Interests: fruit biology; fruit physiology; plant biology; plant breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fruits are high perishable products with an active metabolism, subjected to several losses between harvest and consumption through microbial decay, physical injury, and senescence during postharvest life. Fruit postharvest metabolism cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed within certain limits. Quality maintenance and fruit postharvest life improvement are becoming increasingly important. Fruit and vegetable quality parameters include size, visual attractiveness, taste, health benefits, shelf life, suitability for handling, and processing, and so on. Postharvest handling, processing, and technology play a key role in increasing fruit availability and maintaining fruit quality. Fresh fruits are different in terms of morphological structure, composition, and physiology, for that reason, commodity requirements and recommendations to maintain quality and improve postharvest life change among the products. During the production chain, specific criteria prevail depending on the product’s final destination—either the fresh market or the processing industry. Therefore, improving shelf life, maintaining quality, and reducing waste through advanced research on fruit physiology and developing new technologies is mandatory to meeting consumer demand and to reduce food chain losses.

The Special Issue, as titled, is focused on recent research regarding “Advances in Fruit Postharvest Physiology and Technology” (research articles and reviews).

Prof. Giorgia Liguori
Prof. Noemi Tel-Zur
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. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2956 KiB  
Article
Modelling the Kinetics of Color and Texture Changes of Dabai (Canarium odontophyllum Miq.) during Blanching
by Rosnah Shamsudin, Siti Hajar Ariffin, Wan Nor Zanariah Zainol @ Abdullah, Nazatul Shima Azmi and Arinah Adila Abdul Halim
Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2185; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11112185 - 29 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1942
Abstract
Dabai (Canarium odontophyllum Miq.) is a fruit that is often eaten by first blanching in hot water to make the flesh creamier and softer, before it is served as a snack or side dish. In this study, Dabai fruit was blanched [...] Read more.
Dabai (Canarium odontophyllum Miq.) is a fruit that is often eaten by first blanching in hot water to make the flesh creamier and softer, before it is served as a snack or side dish. In this study, Dabai fruit was blanched at different temperatures between 60 and 100 °C, with an increment of 10 °C, for up to 10 min, and the kinetics of quality changes (color and texture) were studied. Kinetic models that were assessed for changes of color and texture were zero-order, first-order, and fractional conversion model. The results showed that L parameter had no change throughout the blanching process, while parameters a*, b*, chroma (C), and total color difference (TCD) resulted as significantly increased as the temperature and duration of blanching increased. However, the change of firmness was not significant due to minor changes of firmness as the temperature and time increased. In terms of kinetic models, zero and fractional-conversion order well described the changes of a* parameter; while zero, first and fractional conversion well described parameters b*, C and TCD. Change of firmness did not fit with zero or first-order. All of the kinetic models obeyed the Arrhenius equation. Thus, the fitted kinetic models can be used to design the blanching process of Dabai fruit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Postharvest Physiology and Technology)
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16 pages, 1480 KiB  
Article
Effect of Opuntia ficus-indica Mucilage Edible Coating on Quality, Nutraceutical, and Sensorial Parameters of Minimally Processed Cactus Pear Fruits
by Giorgia Liguori, Raimondo Gaglio, Giuseppe Greco, Carla Gentile, Luca Settanni and Paolo Inglese
Agronomy 2021, 11(10), 1963; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11101963 - 29 Sep 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2167
Abstract
Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) is a non-climacteric fruit with a relatively short postharvest life span, being very sensitive to water loss, darkening and decay. Cactus pear is a spiny fruit, and the presence of glochids limits fruit consumption and diffusion; [...] Read more.
Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) is a non-climacteric fruit with a relatively short postharvest life span, being very sensitive to water loss, darkening and decay. Cactus pear is a spiny fruit, and the presence of glochids limits fruit consumption and diffusion; therefore, minimally processing, as well as peel removing, could be an opportunity to improve its availability, consumption, and diffusion in national and international markets. In this study, cactus pear minimally processed fruits were treated with a mucilage-based coating extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes and stored at 5 °C for 9 days. The effect of mucilage edible coating on the postharvest life, qualitative attributes, and nutraceutical value of fruit were evaluated by colors, firmness, total soluble solids content, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, betalains and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). Results showed that mucilage-based coating improved the quality and preserves the nutraceutical value of minimally processed cactus pear fruits during storage. The edible coating was effective in maintaining fruit fresh weight, total soluble solids content, fruit firmness, ascorbic acid and betalain content, sensorial traits, and visual score. Coated fruits showed a significantly lower microbiological growth than uncoated control fruits during the entire cold storage period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Postharvest Physiology and Technology)
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14 pages, 1952 KiB  
Article
1-Methylcyclopropene Improves Postharvest Performances and Sensorial Attributes of Annurca-Type Apples Exposed to the Traditional Reddening in Open-Field Melaio
by Maria Tiziana Lisanti, Alessandro Mataffo, Pasquale Scognamiglio, Maurizio Teobaldelli, Maurizio Iovane, Paola Piombino, Youssef Rouphael, Marios C. Kyriacou, Giandomenico Corrado and Boris Basile
Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1056; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11061056 - 24 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2113
Abstract
The Annurca type is an historical Italian apple fruit probably native to the Campania region. These fruits are harvested before a full maturity stage and go through an open-field reddening process. Products based on 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) are widely used in postharvest to improve [...] Read more.
The Annurca type is an historical Italian apple fruit probably native to the Campania region. These fruits are harvested before a full maturity stage and go through an open-field reddening process. Products based on 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) are widely used in postharvest to improve apple quality and avoid disorders in controlled atmosphere. In this work, we tested the impact of 1-MCP in the traditional reddening system of Annurca type by analyzing three postharvest strategies, namely, fruits exposed for ten days to the traditional reddening and then cold-stored (RDG treatment); fruits treated in postharvest with 1-MCP and then cold-stored (MCP treatment); fruits treated in postharvest with 1-MCP, exposed for ten days to the open-field reddening and then cold-stored (MCP + RDG treatment). Using a full factorial design, we measured main physical and compositional traits and described the properties of the products by consumer testing at two storage times. The MCP + RDG treatment provided the most valuable results, by positively affecting fruit flesh firmness and several sensorial attributes (e.g., hardness, crunchiness, juiciness, sweetness), including a reduction of the mealiness. At the end of the cold-storage, MCP + RDG apples scored a higher consumer’s overall liking. The work demonstrated that the 1-MCP technology can be integrated into a traditional open-field postharvest process to improve fruit quality and, potentially, to extend the shelf life of Annurca apples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Postharvest Physiology and Technology)
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13 pages, 325 KiB  
Article
Influence of Harvesting Season on Morphological and Sensory Quality, Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Three Late-Season Orange Cultivars ‘Barberina’, ‘Valencia Midknight’ and ‘Valencia Delta Seedless’
by Aurea Hervalejo, Juan M. Arjona-López, José L. Ordóñez-Díaz, Estefanía Romero-Rodríguez, Rocío Calero-Velázquez, José M. Moreno-Rojas and Francisco J. Arenas-Arenas
Agronomy 2021, 11(4), 673; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11040673 - 02 Apr 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2177
Abstract
The genus Citrus amounts to one of the most relevant fruit crops in the world. This work assays overall fruit quality information in order to ascertain the optimal harvest timing of three late-season orange cultivars (‘Barberina’, ‘Valencia Midknight’ and ‘Valencia Delta Seedless’) during [...] Read more.
The genus Citrus amounts to one of the most relevant fruit crops in the world. This work assays overall fruit quality information in order to ascertain the optimal harvest timing of three late-season orange cultivars (‘Barberina’, ‘Valencia Midknight’ and ‘Valencia Delta Seedless’) during two consecutive growing seasons. Thus, morphological and physicochemical parameters, organic acids, polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity (ABTS and DPPH) were analyzed. ‘Barberina’ yielded the highest morphological (large and heavy fruits, albeit with lower fruit color index) and physicochemical (high juice content and intermediate but optimal acidity) fruit quality, with April providing the optimal harvest timing. By contrast, ‘Valencia Delta Seedless’ offered the smallest fruits, while ‘Valencia Midknight’ reported the lowest physicochemical juice quality (low juice content and earlier sensory depreciation). Nevertheless, both ‘Valencia Delta Seedless’ and ‘Valencia Midknight’ had higher functional quality than ‘Barberina’, which could be interesting for the industry in terms of obtaining higher added value products. Thus, ‘Valencia Midknight’ fruits recorded the highest organic acids concentration, especially in citric acid, while ‘Valencia Delta Seedless’ fruits showed the highest antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid concentration. In addition, while March-April emerged as the optimal harvest timing in terms of the highest organic acids concentration and antioxidant activity, it was February the optimal harvest timing for polyphenols content. Finally, the 2017/2018 growing season proposed better response of color index, density, polyphenols and antioxidants, but lower results of total organic acids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Postharvest Physiology and Technology)
14 pages, 2422 KiB  
Article
Effects of Modified Atmosphere Packaging and Chitosan Treatment on Quality and Sensorial Parameters of Minimally Processed cv. ‘Italia’ Table Grapes
by Giorgia Liguori, Giuseppe Sortino, Gregorio Gullo and Paolo Inglese
Agronomy 2021, 11(2), 328; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11020328 - 12 Feb 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2663
Abstract
Table grape is a non-climacteric fruit, very sensitive to water loss and gray mold during postharvest handling and storage. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of modified atmosphere packaging and chitosan treatment on quality and sensorial parameters of minimally [...] Read more.
Table grape is a non-climacteric fruit, very sensitive to water loss and gray mold during postharvest handling and storage. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of modified atmosphere packaging and chitosan treatment on quality and sensorial parameters of minimally processed cv. ‘Italia’ table grape during cold storage (14 days at 5 °C) and shelf-life (7 and 14 days of cold storage plus 5 days at 20 °C), reproducing a retail sales condition. Our data showed a significant effect of high CO2-modified atmosphere in combination with chitosan and alone on preserving quality, sensorial parameters, and delaying decay of minimally processed table grape. The most effective treatment in terms of preservation of quality, sensory, and nutritional quality was high-CO2 modified atmosphere packaging plus chitosan treatment. The overall results showed that when a proper modified atmosphere packaging is combined with a postharvest chitosan treatment, gray mold growth can effectively be controlled in ready-to-eat cv. ‘Italia’ table grape and that modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with high levels of CO2 and reduced concentration of O2 in combination with chitosan treatment could prevent the negative effect of high-CO2 in-packages level, like berry browning and rachis browning and dehydration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fruit Postharvest Physiology and Technology)
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