LECTURE 6.
FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERIORATION OF
HARVESTED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
A- Primary causes of loss: Those are directly affect the food
Enzymic changes
Enzymes which are endogenous to plant tissues can have
undesirable or desirable consequences.
Examples involving enzymic changes include:
the post-harvest spoilage of fruit and vegetables
oxidation of phenolic substances in plant tissues by phenolase
(leading to browning)
sugar - starch conversion in plant tissues by amylases
post-harvest demethylation of pectic substances in plant tissues
(leading to softening of plant tissues during ripening, and firming
of plant tissues during processing).
The major factors useful in controlling enzyme activity are:
1. temperature
2. water activity
3. pH
4. chemicals which can inhibit enzyme action
Chemical changes
Sensory quality
The two major chemical changes which occur during the
processing and storage of foods and lead to a deterioration in sensory
quality are lipid oxidation and non-enzymatic browning. Chemical
reactions are also responsible for changes in the colour and flavour of
foods during processing and storage.
- Lipid oxidation rate and course of reaction is influenced by light, local
oxygen concentration, high temperature, the presence of catalysts
(generally transition metals such as iron and copper) and water activity.
Control of these factors can significantly reduce the extent of lipid
oxidation in foods.
Non-enzymic browning is one of the major causes of deterioration which
occurs during storage of dried and concentrated foods.
Colour changes
Almost any type of food processing or storage causes some
deterioration of the chlorophyll pigments. This reaction is accelerated by
heat and is acid catalysed.
Flavour changes
In fruit and vegetables, enzymically generated compounds
derived from long-chain fatty acids play an extremely important role in
the formation of characteristic flavors. In addition, these types of
reactions can lead to significant off-flavors.
The permeability of packaging materials is of importance in
retaining desirable volatile components within packages, or in
permitting undesirable components to permeate through the package
from the ambient atmosphere.
Nutritional quality
The four major factors which affect nutrient degradation and can
be controlled to varying extents by packaging are
1. Light
2. oxygen concentration
3. temperature
4. water activity.
2.3- Physical changes
One major undesirable physical change in food is the absorption of
moisture as a consequence of an inadequate barrier provided by the
package; this results in caking. It can occur either as a result of a poor
selection of packaging material in the first place, or failure of the
package integrity during storage. In general, moisture absorption is
associated with increased cohesiveness.
Biological changes
Microbiological
Micro-organisms can make both desirable and undesirable changes to
the quality of foods depending on whether or not they are introduced as
an essential part of the food preservation process or arise
unintentionally and subsequently grow to produce food spoilage.
The two major groups of micro-organisms found in foods are bacteria
and fungi, the latter consisting of yeasts and moulds. Bacteria are
generally the fastest growing, so that in conditions favourable to both,
bacteria will usually outgrow fungi.
Foods are frequently classified on the basis of their stability as non-
perishable, semi-perishable and perishable.
The protection of packaged food from contamination or attack by micro-
organisms depends on the mechanical integrity of the package (e.g. the
absence of breaks and seal imperfections), and on the resistance of the
package to penetration by micro-organisms.
Macrobiological
Insect Pests
Warm humid environments promote insect growth, although most
insects will not breed if the temperature exceeds about 35 C° or falls
below 10 C°. Also many insects cannot reproduce satisfactorily unless
the moisture content of their food is greater than about 11%.
Rodents
Rats and mice carry disease-producing organisms on their feet and/or
in their intestinal tracts and are known to harbour salmonella of
serotypes frequently associated with food-borne infections in humans.
B- Secondary causes of loss: Those lead to conditions that
encourage a primary cause of loss such as:
1- Inadequate harvesting, packaging and handling skills.
2- Lack of adequate containers for the transport and handling of
perishables.
3- Storage facilities inadequate to protect the food.
4- Transportation inadequate to move the food to market before it
spoils.
5- Inadequate refrigerated storage.
6- Inadequate drying equipment or poor drying season.
7- traditional processing and marketing systems can be responsible for
high losses.
8- Legal standards can affect the retention or rejection of food for
human use.
10- Knowledge of management is essential for maintaining tool
in good condition during marketing and storage.
11- Bumper crops can overload the post-harvest handling system or
exceed the consumption need and cause excessive wastage.
Sites of losses
Losses may occur anywhere from the point where the food has been
harvested or gathered up to the point of consumption. Losses can occur
during one of the following processes:
1- Harvest. The separation of the commodity from the plant that
produced it.
2- Preparation. The preliminary separation or extraction of the edible
from the non- edible portion.
3- Preservation. The prevention of lose and spoilage of foods. For
example, the sun-drying of fruit, the use of refrigeration and the use of
fungicides to inhibit mold growth in fruits.
4- Processing. The conversion of edible food into another form more
acceptable or more convenient to the consumer, for example, the
manufacture of fruit juice and the canning of fruits and vegetables.
5- Storage. The holding of foods until consumption. Most storage is
common storage (ambient temperature) but there are extensive storage
capacities that can hold food under refrigerated or controlled
atmosphere conditions.
6- Transportation. All forms of transportation are used to convey foods
from the point of production to the ultimate point of consumption.
