Instant Insights: Improving the shelf life of horticultural produce

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on improving the shelf life of horticultural produce.

The first chapter introduces the concept of smart distribution and highlights how optimising the management of produce distribution systems can reduce loss and waste in the horticultural sector and extend shelf life by minimising quality deterioration. The chapter also discusses the use of remote sensing technology to determine food quality.

The second chapter reviews a selection of pre- and postharvest strategies used to optimise fruit quality. The chapter considers ways of measuring harvest maturity, as well as the role of temperature controlled environments in extending the shelf life of tree fruit.

The third chapter summarises the wealth of recent research on the preservation of fruit quality in mango production, as well as how postharvest operations can be optimised to reduce loss and waste and maximise shelf life, including the use of controlled environments, waxes and edible coatings.

The final chapter explores the advantages and disadvantages of cultivating ripening-impaired tomato mutants and genetically engineered genotypes characterized by inhibition of the ripening process. The chapter considers the use of ethylene inhibitors and controlled environments as a means of mitigating devastating yield losses.