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Post-harvest Quality Control of Fruits and Vegetables
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Post-harvest Quality Control of Fruits and Vegetables

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 5728

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Qiong Lin

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Guest Editor
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: quality regulation; post-harvest technology; molecular biology; metabolomics; horticultural products; cold chain
Dr. Ting Min

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, China
Interests: postharvest quality control of fruits and vegetables; fruit and vegetable preservation
Prof. Dr. Ruixiang Yan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Light Industry Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
Interests: horticultural products; post-harvest physiology; postharvest handling; molecular biology; cold storage; e-commerce logistics; packaging; shelf quality
Dr. Hongru Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Crop Breeding & Cultivation Research, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
Interests: molecular regulation mechanism of quality changes; preservation control techniques after postharvest of fruits and vegetables

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Harvested fruit and vegetable products are metabolically active, undergoing ripening and senescence processes that must be controlled to prolong the postharvest quality. Inadequate management of these processes can result in major losses in nutritional and quality attributes, and financial loss for all players along the supply chain, from growers to consumers. Fresh fruits and vegetables are perishable living products that require coordinated activity by growers, storage operators, processors, and retailers to maintain quality and reduce food loss and waste. Additionally, they are a major source of essential vitamins and minerals needed for human well-being. Studies in the post-harvest field are fundamental to stimulating new technologies and provide an increasingly wider variety of fruits and vegetables with extended shelf life and appreciable quality.

Therefore, we would like to invite authors to contribute original research articles as well as review articles focused on the main factors that influence senescence and ways to maintain freshness, color, and firmness, among many other important sensorial attributes that are reflected directly in the product quality along with its acceptance. Other related topics that could be included are as follows:

  • Methods and controlling technologies that play a role in quality, such as special packages and modified atmosphere.
  • Materials used in transport and their degree of damage to fruits and vegetables.
  • New methods to control quality decay in postharvest fruits and vegetables in general.

Dr. Qiong Lin
Dr. Ting Min
Prof. Dr. Ruixiang Yan
Dr. Hongru Liu
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

  • quality control
  • fruit
  • vegetable
  • post-harvest technology
  • storage

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4456 KiB  
Article
Three Licorice Extracts’ Impact on the Quality of Fresh-Cut Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) Slices
by Ximing Xu, Heyao Zhang, Sheng Jin, Yueming Zhu, Zunfu Lv, Peng Cui and Guoquan Lu
Foods 2024, 13(2), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13020211 - 09 Jan 2024
Viewed by 967
Abstract
The quality of fresh-cut produce, particularly sweet potatoes, is crucial for their value. Licorice extract is an optional additive in fresh-cut sweet potatoes. This study examined the impact of three licorice extracts (licorice acid, LA; licorice flavonoids, LF; and licorice polysaccharides, LP) on [...] Read more.
The quality of fresh-cut produce, particularly sweet potatoes, is crucial for their value. Licorice extract is an optional additive in fresh-cut sweet potatoes. This study examined the impact of three licorice extracts (licorice acid, LA; licorice flavonoids, LF; and licorice polysaccharides, LP) on the quality of fresh-cut sweet potato slices (FCSPSs) for one week of storage. After one week of storage, the extracts showed varying effects on FCSPSs. LA and LF treatments reduced the area proportion of browning (APB), while LP treatments increased APB and decreased L* values. Antioxidant experiments revealed that LP treatments increased PPO and POD activity while reducing SOD activity. The concentrations of the three licorice extracts showed a strong negative correlation with SOD activity. In conclusion, LP harmed the appearance and antioxidant qualities of FCSPSs. LA and LF may be suitable additive components for FCSPSs, and 30 mg/mL LA and LF treatments were found to maintain the appearance and texture quality of FCSPSs during storage. Therefore, careful consideration should be given when using LP as a food additive for FCSPSs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Quality Control of Fruits and Vegetables)
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16 pages, 2366 KiB  
Article
Effects of Hydroxyethyl Cellulose and Sulfated Rice Bran Polysaccharide Coating on Quality Maintenance of Cherry Tomatoes during Cold Storage
by Guige Liu, Bingjie Chen, Hongru Liu, Xiao Wang, Yi Zhang, Cunfang Wang, Chenxia Liu, Yaoguang Zhong and Yongjin Qiao
Foods 2023, 12(17), 3156; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12173156 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1050
Abstract
Cherry tomatoes are easily damaged due to their high moisture content. A composite coating was developed to delay deterioration and prolong storage by mixing antibacterial sulfated rice bran polysaccharides (SRBP) and edible hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) with film-forming properties. The effects of HEC, HEC-5% [...] Read more.
Cherry tomatoes are easily damaged due to their high moisture content. A composite coating was developed to delay deterioration and prolong storage by mixing antibacterial sulfated rice bran polysaccharides (SRBP) and edible hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) with film-forming properties. The effects of HEC, HEC-5% SRBP, and HEC-20% SRBP preservative coatings on the maintenance of the quality of cherry tomatoes (LycopersivonesculentumMill., Xiaohuang F2) during cold storage were investigated. The HEC-20% SRBP coating significantly reduced tomato deterioration and weight loss, delayed firmness loss, decreased polyphenol oxidase activity, and increased peroxidase activity. Furthermore, cherry tomatoes treated with HEC-20% SRBP maintained high levels of titratable acid, ascorbic acid, total phenols, and carotenoids. Cherry tomatoes coated with HEC-SRBP also had higher levels of volatile substances and a greater variety of these substances compared to uncoated tomatoes. In conclusion, the HEC-20% SRBP coating effectively delayed deterioration and preserved cherry tomatoes’ nutrient and flavor qualities during postharvest cold storage, suggesting it could be a novel food preservation method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Quality Control of Fruits and Vegetables)
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17 pages, 4805 KiB  
Article
Hot Water Treatment Improves Date Drying and Maintains Phytochemicals and Fruit Quality Characteristics of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera)
by Jianhui Li, Imtiaz Hussain, Muhammad Azam, Muhammad Arslan Khan, Muhammad Tahir Akram, Khalid Naveed, Muhammad Asif, Naveeda Anjum, Jiaoke Zeng, Jiukai Zhang and Hongru Liu
Foods 2023, 12(12), 2405; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122405 - 18 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1539
Abstract
Fresh date fruits (cvs. Hillawi and Khadrawi) were harvested at the khalal stage and treated with hot water treatment (HWT) for different time durations (control, HWT-1 min, HWT-3 min, HWT-5 min, and HWT-7 min) to investigate the physicochemical characteristics, phytochemical properties, and sensory [...] Read more.
Fresh date fruits (cvs. Hillawi and Khadrawi) were harvested at the khalal stage and treated with hot water treatment (HWT) for different time durations (control, HWT-1 min, HWT-3 min, HWT-5 min, and HWT-7 min) to investigate the physicochemical characteristics, phytochemical properties, and sensory attributes. The results revealed that both date cultivars took less time to reach the tamar stage in response to HWT-7 min compared to control. However, Hillawi date fruit showed a higher fruit ripening index (75%) at HWT-3 min, while Khadrawi fruit had a higher ripening index (80%) at HWT-5 min than untreated fruit (10%). Higher weight loss and lower moisture contents were observed in Hillawi (25%) and Khadrawi (20%) date fruit as the immersion period increased in both cultivars. Moreover, soluble solid content was higher in Hillawi (11.77° Brix) in response to HWT-3 min and Khadrawi (10.02° Brix) date fruit immersed in HWT-5 min in contrast with the control group, whereas significantly lower levels of titratable acidity and ascorbic acid content were observed in Hillawi (0.162%, 0.67 mg/100 g) and Khadrawi (0.206%, 0.73 mg/100 g) date fruit in response to HWT (HWT-1 min, HWT-3 min, HWT-5 min, and HWT-7 min) than untreated fruit. Furthermore, noticeably higher levels of reducing sugar (69.83%, 57.01%), total sugar (34.47%, 31.14%), glucose (36.84%, 29.42%), fructose (33.99%, 27.61%), and sucrose (3.16%, 1.33%) were found in hot water-treated Hillawi (immersed for 3-min) and Khadrawi (immersed for 5-min) date fruit, respectively. In addition, total phenolic content, total flavonoids, total antioxidants, and total tannins were substantially superior in date fruits subjected to HWT-3 min (in Hillawi, 128 mg GAE/100 g, 61.78%, 20.18 mg CEQ/100 g) and HWT-5 min (in Khadrawi, 139.43 mg GAE/100 g, 72.84%, and 18.48 mg CEQ/100 g) compared to control. Overall, sensory attributes were recorded to be higher in Hillawi and Khadrawi date fruit after treatment for 3 min and 5 min, respectively. Our findings suggest that HWT is a promising technique that can be adopted commercially to improve fruit ripening and preserved nutritional quality of dates after harvest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Quality Control of Fruits and Vegetables)
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16 pages, 3755 KiB  
Article
Isothermal Storage Delays the Senescence of Post-Harvest Apple Fruit through the Regulation of Antioxidant Activity and Energy Metabolism
by Lan Chen, Mengya Wang, Haifen Wang, Cong Zhou, Junwei Yuan, Xihong Li and Yanfang Pan
Foods 2023, 12(9), 1765; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12091765 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1595
Abstract
The purpose of this work was to elucidate the influence of TF (5 ± 5 °C, and 5 ± 1 °C) and CT (5 ± 0.1 °C served as an isothermal state) storage environment on the antioxidant ability and energy metabolism in post-harvest [...] Read more.
The purpose of this work was to elucidate the influence of TF (5 ± 5 °C, and 5 ± 1 °C) and CT (5 ± 0.1 °C served as an isothermal state) storage environment on the antioxidant ability and energy metabolism in post-harvest apple fruit during storage. Specifically, compared with fruit in TFs groups, the quality attributes of apples in the CT group, including firmness, fresh weight, contents of SSC, and TA were maintained at a higher level. In addition, fruit stored in the CT environment revealed a suppressed respiration rate and EL, lower MDA, O2·−, and H2O2 accumulation but increased the activities of SOD, CAT, APX, and GR. At the end of storage, the SOD, CAT, APX, and GR activities of fruit in the CT group were 38.14%,48.04%, 115.29%, and 34.85% higher than that of the TF5 group, respectively. Fruit in the CT environment also revealed higher AsA, GSH, total phenols, and total flavonoid content. In addition, fruit stored in the CT environment maintained higher ATP content, EC, and more active H+-ATPase, Ca2+-ATPase, CCO, and SDH. At the end of storage, the SDH and CCO activities of fruit in the TF0.1 group were 1.74, and 2.59 times higher than that in the TF5 group, respectively. Taken together, we attributed the fact that a constant temperature storage environment can retard the fruit senescence to the enhancement of antioxidant capacities and maintaining of higher energy status in apple fruit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-harvest Quality Control of Fruits and Vegetables)
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