Special Issue "Postharvest Handling to Improve the Quality and Shelf-Life of Fruit and Vegetables"

Dear Colleagues,

In recent times, safe high-quality food has become increasingly appreciated and sought after as part of a healthy lifestyle that is widely preferred. In such a diet, fresh fruits and vegetables, which have a limited shelf life and perishability, should be dominant, so the conditions of their harvest and storage are of great importance. In order to ensure year-round access to fruits and vegetables, it is necessary to store them in properly selected conditions. Obtaining high quality fruits and vegetables can be achieved by acting on many levels, but primarily by introducing new technologies in cultivation and during storage. At the production stage, it is very important to apply good agricultural, production and hygienic practices as well as integrated protection of fruit and vegetables. The quality and safety of fresh fruits and vegetables can be improved by implementing innovative systems and existing standards. Vegetables and fruits are subject to packaging, so it is important to follow procedures for cleaning fresh products immediately after harvesting, maintaining hygienic conditions during harvesting, storage and packaging, and continuous quality monitoring. In addition, technological advances make it possible to make changes during the harvesting period. All these factors must be considered in the context of the environment in which the plants are grown.

Dr. Jarosław Pobereżny
Prof. Dr. Elżbieta Wszelaczyńska
Dr. Anna Nogalska
Guest Editors

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• quality
• cultivar
• fruit
• vegetable
• cultivation technology
• storage
• conditions
• safety and health
• natural losses
• environment
• harvest date

Title: The effect of magnesium and biostimulator application during potato cultivation on the consumption value and safety of tubers after long-term storage
Authors: Katarzyna Retmańska, Jarosław Pobereżny, Elżbieta Wszelaczyńska, Anna Nogalska
Affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, St. Kaliskiego 7, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Abstract: Criteria for the selection of edible potato varieties are such characteristics as the skin and flesh color, palatability and utility type, which are subjectively evaluated by the consumer, as well as the content of undesirable substances like nitrates and nitrites. The quality of the edible potato depends primarily on the environmental conditions and cultivation technology. Magnesium has a considerable influence on the size and quality of the potato tuber yield. If potato plants are grown under stress conditions, a biostimulant should be used. The purpose of the research was to determine the influence of magnesium, application of biostimulant and storage time on organoleptic properties of potatoes of the edible cultivar called Satina as well as the content of nitrates and nitrites in tubers. The experimental factors were: assessment date (immediately after harvest as well as after 6 months of storage in 4ºC and RH 95%), magnesium fertilization (0, 30, 60, 90 kg ha-1), biostimulator application (0, 1.5, 3.0 l ha-1). The study showed that the application of magnesium during the potato growing season caused a change in the consumption value and decreased the content of nitrates and nitrites. The application of the biostimulant had a positive effect on the distinguishing features of the consumption value. Application of the biostimulant decreased the nitrates and nitrites content in tubers. Long-term storage slightly deteriorated the quality of the Satina potato variety tubers in terms of all the tested organoleptic characteristics and decreased the nitrates and nitrites content. keywords: storage period, fertilization, biostimulant, potato tubers, type uses, nitrate, nitrite