eChapters

1. INTRODUCTION

India is a vast country having a geographical area of 328 million hectares with 15 distinct agro-climatic zones. Fruits and vegetables are one of the most important and fast growing sub-sectors as they form an indispensable part of healthy diet. It holds a unique position for growing a wide range of vegetables in its diverse agro-climatic conditions. World production of vegetables amounts to 486 million tons, while that of fruits is 392 million tons. India produces 159.5m MT tons of vegetables from an area of 9.07 million hectare annually (NHB, 2013). Productivity of vegetables in India presently is 16.7 tons per hectare. India produces 36 % green peas and 10% onion of world’s production. Onion, potatoes and green vegetables like okra, bitter gourd and green chillies also have good export potential. Being rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and natural antioxidants most vegetables are classified as the protective foods. However, owing to the presence of high moisture content and mostly being non acidic, the vegetables are highly perishable and needs to be handled properly and immediately after harvest. Processing of vegetables into different value added products is one of the most effective alternatives to reduce post harvest losses.

Vegetables are highly beneficial for the maintenance of health and disease prevention. An intake of about 280 grams of vegetables per day per person has been considered essential. Vegetable unlike cereals deteriorated quickly when stored for long periods because of the relatively high moisture contents. Huge amounts of losses take place between harvesting and consumption. Various causes are attributed to the deterioration process and it becomes essential to adopt integrated, low cost system of post harvest technology right from the pre-harvest stage.

Flowers are highly perishable unlike other horticultural or agricultural crops. Owing to poor keeping quality the post harvest losses in floriculture are significantly higher than any other sector. Although there has been significant increase in the area, production and productivity of flower crops in the last two decades, there is an urgent need to minimize the huge post harvest losses in terms of the value of the produce which are estimated to be 30-40 per cent of farm value. The post harvest behavior of flowers is an outcome of the physiological processes, occurring in leave, stem, flower bud, leafless peduncle or scape connecting bud to the stem. Some of these processes may act independently to affect the senescence and vase life of cut flowers but most of them are inter-related. The nature and extent of post harvest damage is typical for each crop or cultivar. The post harvest losses become important especially when dealing with the export of fresh flowers to distant and foreign market. Therefore, patient, soft and expert handling of flowers is of utmost importance after harvest.

Fruits and vegetables are living tissues subject to continuous change after harvest. Some changes are desirable from consumer point of view but most are not. Post-harvest changes in fresh fruit cannot be stopped, but these can be slowed down within certain limits to enhance the shelf life of fruits. The post-harvest handling plays an important role in extending the storage and marketable life of horticultural perishables.

Post Harvest Treat ment of Fruits and Vegetables Washing

It is useful in removing surface adhering material water. Mechanically, it is also accomplished by passing the fruits/vegetables through machine arranged with water tank equipped with rotating brush. In some produce washing improves appeal by facilitating removal of sap as case in mango, papaya, jackfruit, kronda, dirt in case of carrot, reddish, turnip, sugar beet, sweet potato, etc. and for removal of debris in case of banana. The water use for the purpose should be cleaned otherwise fungal and bacterial levels may build up. Disinfected treatment using ultraviolet light, ozone, chlorine (100 ppm), calcium hydroxide, etc. help to clean water for washing purpose.

Since time immemorial, spices have played a vital role in world food trade, due to their varied properties and applications. We primarily depend on spices for flavour and fragrance as well as colour, preservative, inherent therapeutic, medicinal and appetizing properties. The spices that India can offer in abundant quantities are pepper, ginger, turmeric, chili, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, fennel, cumin, dill, coriander, cinnamon, ajowan, cloves, nutmeg, mace etc.

Introduction

Many post-harvest treatments are applied to horticultural crops, either to maintain the quality (taste, colour, flavour, texture) or improve the visual appeal. Most important of these treatments are temperature management including the cold chain where the temperature of the crop is reduced rapidly and stabilize temperature after harvesting. Exposing the crop to high or low temperature and application of chemicals after harvest helps in managing/ prevent pest and diseases and sprouting occurrence respectively.

Harvested produce must be handled with care at every stage to avoid the mechanical damage and subsequent fungal/bacterial infection. Adopting appropriate post-harvest handling operation will minimize the all ill effects of post-harvest (Fig. 1).

Horticulture sector, comprising fruits, vegetables, floriculture, medicinal and aromatic crops, mushroom, spices and plantation crops, had witnessed phenomenal growth in production and productivity during the last two decades. Resultantly, horticulture in India is recognised as one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. The production has reached to 351.92 million tonnes in 2022-23 as compared to 231 million tonnnes in 2010. Progressive urbanization, increased spendable income and awareness for balanced and nutritious food have contributed towards increasing demand of horticulture produce. The increasing demand coupled with higher income returns per unit area has triggered this growth pattern, which has been largely possible due to policy environment to support horticulture both for research and development.

Fruits and Vegetables are highly perishable in nature due to which huge spoilage (damage) takes place during the period between harvesting and consumption. Fruits and Vegetables after harvesting are often poorly handled and in many cases neither cleaned nor washed. Improper handling may cause physical damage due to tissue breakdown which results mechanical damages and physiological changes in harvested fruits and vegetables. Mechanical losses include bruising, cracking, cuts, microbial spoilage by fungi and bacteria and physiological losses include changes in respiration, transpiration, pigments, organic acids and flavour.

Introdction

Fruits are an important supplement to the human diet, as they provide minerals, vitamins and fiber required for maintaining good health. Fruits are also rich in phytochemicals (7, xanthophylls, polyphenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, organic acids etc.) which possess good antioxidant properties. India’s diverse climatic conditions ensure availability of almost all the varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables. According to FAO (2021), the country ranks first in the production of bananas (26.45%), mangoes (including mangosteens and guavas) (43.80%) and papayas (39.30%). The scenario of horticulture crops in India has become very encouraging. The percentage share of horticulture output in agriculture has become 33 per cent (Anonymous 2021). India has witnessed increase in horticulture production over the last few years. Significant progress has been made in area expansion resulting in higher production. Over the last decade, the area under horticulture grew by 2.1 per cent per annum and annual production increased by 3.9 per cent. During 2020-21, the production of horticulture crops was 334.60 million tonnes from an area of 27.74 million hectares. The production of fruits has increased from 76.42 million tonnes in 2011-12 to 108.34 million tonnes in 2022-23 (Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2022). The area under cultivation of fruits stood at 7.05 million hectares. The total production of fruits in the year 2020-21 was highest in case of Andhra Pradesh (17.70 million tonnes) followed by Maharashtra (11.73 million tonnes) and Uttar Pradesh (11.23 million tonnes) (Anonymous 2021). India now is the second largest producer of vegetables and fruits in the world. The country ranks at first position in the production of banana, mango, lime and lemon, papaya and okra. The area and production of fruits in India is presented in Table 1. The fruits namely banana, mango, citrus, papaya, guava, grapes, apple, pineapple and sapota account for more than 85 per cent of the total production of fruits. The other fruits which are produced in India are almond, walnut, jackfruit, bael, ber, custard apple, kiwi, passion fruit, peach, pear, plum, strawberry etc.

Abstract

High moisture paddy can be dried in a trolley drier at farm level/grain market to reduce losses during various post harvest operations. During last two paddy harvesting seasons quality analysis of eight, most popular varieties of fresh paddy arrivals from about 40 grain markets, scattered all over Punjab, was performed. Monitoring of paddy in grain markets showed that maximum number of samples (62.7%) was in the range of 12-18%, moisture content (w.b.). Over-dried paddy samples (<12% m.c., w.b.) were only 9.1%. The samples with more than 18% m.c ,w.b. (high moisture paddy) were 28.2%, which have to be dried to safe moisture levels. Milling characteristics of the analyzed samples indicated that the broken percentage was highest (25.5%) in PR-113 followed by PR-111 (20.6%) and minimum in Pusa-44 (12%). The highest insect- pest infestation (Sitotroga cerealella (olivier) was observed in PR-108, followed by PR-116, PR-113, PR-111, Lal Mundi, Govinda, PR-114 and Sharbati. The Mycoflora isolated and identified were Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Alternaria, Curvularia, Helminthosporium and Cladosporium spp. Maximum fungal infestation were associated with samples of PR-108 variety. To avoid further proliferation of mycoflora and inset pests, paddy should be dried to safe moisture levels for further storage and processing. For this, a trolley drier has been developed by converting a conventional farmer’s tractor trolley, into a portable drier, which can reduce 5% moisture of 1 tonne batch of paddy in about 100 minutes, consuming 56 kWh of electrical energy

I. POST HARVEST DISEASES

A. Post-Harvest Diseases of Fruits

The potential for significant economic losses from decay caused by postharvest pathogens is greater than is often realized. Harvesting and handling, and the attendant costs for labor and postharvest chemical treatments, can increase the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables several fold from the field to the consumer. Therefore, any produce lost in storage is worth more economically than an equivalent amount lost in the field. Considering economics and the problem of world hunger, it is imperative to understand the importance of postharvest disease and to continually strive to reduce postharvest losses from pathogens. In recent years, many international organizations have identified the necessity of reducing postharvest food losses as an important worldwide goal. While postharvest losses vary from season to season, an average loss of 10% to 30% after harvest is an average estimate. Significantly higher losses are not uncommon in developing countries. The extent of these losses justifies increased research efforts in postharvest pathology (Carl E. Sams, 1994). Chemical treatments and irradiation have effectively reduced the number of microorganisms on various commodities. However, consumer fears associated with chemical residues and the effects of ionizing radiation on fresh produce are forcing the development of alternative protection methods. Also, many pathogens have developed resistance to several commonly used chemicals, while other decaycausing microorganisms currently cannot be controlled by chemicals. Therefore it is better to seek control strategies that will supplement or replace current disease control methods.

Fruits, nuts and vegetables play a significant role in human nutrition, especially as sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, and antioxidants. Increased consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis is highly recommended because of associated health benefits, which include reduced risk of some forms of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases. Both quantitative and qualitative losses occur in horticultural commodities between harvest and consumption. Qualitative losses, such as loss in edibility, nutritional quality, caloric value, and consumer acceptability of fresh produce, are much more difficult to assess than are quantitative losses. Quality standards, consumer preferences and purchasing power vary greatly across countries and cultures and these differences influence marketability and the magnitude of postharvest losses. Postharvest losses vary greatly across commodity types, with production areas and the season of production. Losses of fresh fruits and vegetables in developed countries are estimated to range from 2 percent for potatoes to 23 percent for strawberries, with an overall average of 12 percent losses between production and consumption sites. In contrast, the range of produce losses in developing countries varies widely. Losses at the retail, food-service, and consumer levels are estimated at approximately 20 percent in developed countries and about 10 percent in developing countries (Adel A. Kader and Rosa S. Rolle, 2004 ). Overall, about one third of horticultural crops produced are never consumed by humans. Reduction of postharvest losses can increase food availability to the growing world population, decrease the area needed for production, and conserve natural resources. Strategies for loss prevention include use of genotypes that have longer postharvest-life, use of integrated crop management systems and good agricultural practices that result in good keeping quality of the commodity and use of proper postharvest handling practices in order to maintain the quality and safety of fresh produce.

1. INTRODUCTION

Fruits and Vegetables are heighly perishable crops and have to be handled carefully after harvest. Postharvest handling of these perishables is essential to prevent the post harvest losses and maintain the quality of the fruits and vegetables. Various treatments (chemical, physical and biological agents) have been standardised and used for retaining the storage quality of different horticultural commodities. All these aspects have been discussed in this chapter.

1. INTRODUCTION

In the changing global scenario, food nutrition, health care and livelihood security are the matter of great concern to human, social and economic development. Fruits and vegetables is one of the most important and fast growing sub-sectors as they form an indispensable part of healthy diet. The current trend shows that dietary habits are changing with increasing income, from cereal based diet to nutritious diet. Resultantly, there is a growing demand for horticultural produce.

World production of vegetables amounts to 1169.45 million tonnes, while that of fruits is 689.39 million tonnes (NHB, 2017). India is the second major producer of fruits and vegetables in the world and ranks next to China. India produces 92.85 million tonnes of fruits from an area of 6.5 million hectares and 175.00 millions tonns of vegetables from an area of 9.2 million hectares annually. The productivity of vegetables in India is 17.6 tonnes per hectare. Potato (28.9%), tomato (11.3%), onion (10.3%) and brinjal (8.1%) are the 4 major vegetables contributing 58.6% of total vegetable production in our country. Other important vegetables are cabbage (5.4%), cauliflower (4.6%), okra (3.9%) and peas (2.4%)

1. INTRODUCTION

India produces a large variety of fruits and vegetable due to varied agro-climatic conditions. These include mango, citrus, banana, apple grapes, strawberry, pineapple, litchi, guava, papaya, plum, peach, pear apricot etc. Astonishingly, it may appear but it is a fact that postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables in India are staggering. Infact the postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables are equivalent to the annual consumption of fruits and vegetables in U.K. In this article, a focus is made on the causes of postharvest losses of fruits, overview of various techniques used to prevent the postharvest losses constrains in postharvest technology and future strategies.

Postharvest food loss has been considered an unavoidable affliction since food storage first began. These losses are much more painful and costlier in terms of money and man-hours. Such losses due to plant parasitic nematodes, in particular, is severe in tropical regions especially in developing countries like India, where proper storage, transmit and marketing facilities are inadequate. In tropical agriculture, increase in production rate is generally low and, by itself, unable to keep pace with the requirements of the increasing population. Hence, such food shortage demands the need to reduce postharvest loss due to nematodes. Postharvest food losses also constitute a vast complex of physical and biological changes, which makes it very difficult to represent in a single figure. As suggested by different sources, an overall loss of at least 10 per cent occurs in the developing countries. However, the magnitude may range from negligible to cent percent in particular nematode species and crop.

In addition to causing direct losses individually, phytonematodes also favour the establishment of secondary, passive micro- organisms like fungi, bacteria, viruses etc. Nematodes cause mechanical wounds, which serve as avenue for the entry of secondary microorganisms (Ravichandra, 2008). This complex association results in severe damage to planting material.

Postharvest diseases due to nematodes can be managed through restricting the movement of infected planting material to uninfected areas; use of uninfected, healthy planting materials; use of treated planting materials; improvements in the cultural practices at the growing site; timely and careful harvesting; use of nematicides both at pre- and postharvest stages; employment of some physical means like heat, radiation etc; improved storage techniques and integration of these methods. By maintaining hygienic conditions during harvest, transportation, storage and packing most of the postharvest damage due to nematodes can be minimized. Of all the methods, however, regulatory measures like quarantine is more practical and effective in restricting the movement of nematode infected plant materials and contaminated soil into a state or country. Contaminated plant material should be treated (hot water or nematicides) to kill the plant parasitic nematodes before planting to prevent the further postharvest damage. These various measures are primarily aimed at either reduction or wiping out of stages of nematode from the site or protection of host from infection or creation of unfavorable host and/or environmental conditions for the nematodes.

Abstract

Starch is a naturally occurring biodegradable polymer and readily available from agriculture. It is widely used in food and non-food applications and isolated from crops such as maize, potatoes, tapioca, rice and wheat. However, in recent years substantial progress has been made on the molecular structure of cereal and tuber starches and their impact on functionality, the following is a subjective summary that presents status of knowledge on isolation of starch from non-conventional source like Acorus calamus (sweet flag). The focus is on potential application of the source as food and non-food derivatives. Extensive work has been carried out on agronomic and phenotypic properties for most tropical crops, but relatively little study has been carried out on the properties which are of direct technical and economic interest to competitive food and non-food industry. Sweet flag (Acorus calamus L.) is an emergent macrophyte, originating in Asia, commonly found in European wetlands. Rhizome is the most important storage organ in Acorus. It contains considerable amounts of carbohydrates and nitrogen-rich compound. This species is growing to 6 feet, with long lanceolate leaves %-inch wide with pronounced midrib, aromatic, with stout rhizomes. The major proportion of total non-structural carbohydrates in rhizomes is starch (91-93% and 51-64% in rhizomes and roots, respectively). However, amount of starch varies among the organs as well. Rhizomes contain the highest amount of starch followed by branched roots and finally by unbranched roots. Rhizomes comprises single to compound grains, with clusters present in high frequencies. Non-conventional food resources and their value addition have attracted attention in the recent years for their potential use as functional ingredients in food formulations, besides food they have also been used for non-food applications. So there is tremendous potential for the profitable commercial use of these tropical starches and exploring them for further use.

Abstract

The production of natural food colours through bio-processing is preferred now-a-days due to health related issues associated with their synthetic counterparts. Microorganisms are generally preferred sources as these have high production rate, high growth rate, ease of handling under controlled conditions and absence of seasonal variations. Biopigments can be produced from different genera of bacteria, yeast and mold. Different types and colours of pigments have been produced from microorganisms depending upon their origin, media components and process conditions. The biopigments have variety of applications in food industry such as food additives, food preservatives, biological control agents and nutritional supplements. These have also been associated with therapeutic, and antioxidant properties. Lycopene from B. trispora is used as a food ingredient in dietary supplement. Astaxanthin from X. dendrortious has also been reported to have beneficial effect on human health as it possesses strong antioxidant properties. Arpink red P. oxalicum is used as red colorant in meat products, non-alcoholic drinks, milk products and confectionary. 0- carotene is considered as leading food colorant in world and is applied to range of baked, dairy and canned foods to improve their appearance. The antioxidant andprecursory properties of0-carotene increase its applications in pet foods. Zeaxanthin is used as additives in poultry fed to intensify the colour of the egg yolk. Monascus pigments are utilized for coloration of sausages, ham, marine products and tomato ketchup. Monascus extract is also marketed as dietetic supplement in Japan. Thus, the biopigments can serve as a chromophore for colorant production with broad spectrum of colours and wide applications.

Introduction

The purpose of this e-book is to outline the main hazards in food production and processing that could influence the safety of foods and thus the health and wellbeing of consumers. The suggestive actions to restrain the formation of compounds or organisms that may threaten the safety of a food will be discussed along with the legal and regulatory framework.

“Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow”

Food is the third most basic human need, after air and water. Only when food is safe can it contribute to our food security and health. When food is not safe, people cannot thrive, hunger and poverty cannot be alleviated, and a healthy life is not possible. Food safety has a significant impact on human health, and food, which is essential for human survival, comes from plants and animals. Food safety is a core tenet of One Health.

This chapter gives an overview of the main hazards such as physical hazards, chemical hazards, biological hazards, and adulterants in different types of foods and how the hazards influence the safety of the food along with health and well-being of the consumers. The effective way of management of these hazards and different hazard limits set by the regulators such as FSSAI, USFDA, EU AND CODEX along with labelling requirements for the hazards has been discussed in this chapter.

Introduction

The horticulture sector is contributing over 30 per cent share in agricultural GDP of the country. Presently, India producing about 351.92 million tons of horticultural produce from 28.04 million hectare which has surpassed the food grain production for last five consecutive years (Anonymous, 2023). Horticulture sector has been identified by Government of India also identified horticulture as one of the vital sector for entrepreneurship development, employment generation, livelihood and nutritional security, doubling farmer’s income, achieving SDGs of the United Nations.

Fruits and vegetables have become part of a modern healthy lifestyle as they possess high amounts of minerals, especially electrolytes, dietary fiber, phytochemicals, especially antioxidants, and vitamins (Yahia et al., 2019; Krishnan Kesavan et al., 2023). In consumption, the qualities of products play a critical role in consumers’ choices, which are directly related to health problems (Tian, and Xu, 2022). Bioactive compounds are phytochemical substances present in small quantities in plant materials that can provide biological activity, being generally associated with health benefits, including hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antithrombotic, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic and prevention of cardiovascular and degenerative diseases (Campoli et al., 2018). Therefore, maintaining high-quality fruits and vegetables is very important for the fruit and vegetable industry. This requires some methods to evaluate the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables during their post-harvest manipulation and storage and before their industrial processing as well (Tian and Xu, 2022).

1. EXPERIMENT 1 : INDUSTRIAL USES OF IMPORTANT CHEMICALS

• Different steps involved in post-harvest processing of horticultural produces are depicted in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Flow chart on post-harvest processing of horticultural produces.

6.1. Pre sorting

• Done to eliminate injured, decayed and unwanted produce before cooling and handling.

6.2. Pre cooling

• Removal of field heat after harvest at 32°C for 1 h.

6.2.1. Advantages

• Reduces rate of respiration and ripening, moisture, bruise damage during transits, production of ethylene and growth of spoilage organisms

• Eases load on cooling system (Refrigeration) of transport or storage chamber

4.1. Quality of post-harvest product

• Post-harvest quality - market, edible, transport, table, nutritional, internal and appearance qualities

• Consumers consider good quality in relation to colour, flavour and nutrition.

• Final manifestation of inter relation between commodity and its environment.

• Genetic characteristics and physiological status of commodity determine typical post-harvest behaviour and quality of the produce

• Temperature, RH, water potential, light, cultural practices and pest management techniques determine the quality.

4.2. Pre-harvest factors

4.2.1. Related to plants

• Crops: Quality varies from crop to crop E.g. jackfruit, bael, potato, onion, pumpkin, garlic etc. having good quality in relation to shelf life

Introduction

Food is a resource of vital importance and its safety in the whole chain, from producer to consumer, is a worldwide concern. In fact, as food trade expands throughout the world, food safety has become a shared concern among all consumers. This issue began to be taken seriously at a period where there is a significant increase of illness caused by infected food in both developed and developing countries. Unsafe food contains hazardous agents or contaminants that can make people sick, immediately or by increasing their risk of chronic disease. Contaminants can enter food at many different points in the food production process, and can occur naturally or as the result of poor or inadequate production practices. International competitiveness depends more on quality and safety concerns than on prices. Governments and local authorities intervene in the market place in setting technical regulations; and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. This encouraged food processing companies around the world to implement food safety management systems which guarantees the production and distribution of safe foods. Prerequisite Programs (PRPs) are considered as the integral part of food safety standards and audit schemes all over the world. It is essential to implement food safety programmes in every company to check the chances of illness or injury due to unsafe food.

1. INTRODUCTION

Since vedic times, importance of fermented milk and its products was known but the major attention to probiotic and its health related benefits was gained after Eli Metchnikoff’s publication entitled “The prolongation of life” in 1908. Due to the awareness of the role of nutrition in health and well-being, improved knowledge of diet-related diseases, consumer demand for probiotic and prebiotic products has been increased in recent years. The link between diet and health is flourishing the market for health-embracing population and opens an opportunity for Food and Dairy Industries meet the demand of this market. Probiotics, constituting live micro organisms, have been incorporated into drinks, food products, supplements (tablets, capsules and freeze–dried preparations) and prebiotic products. Milk, milk based products, fruits and vegetables are rich in functional food components such as minerals, vitamins, dietary fibers, and antioxidants (phytochemicals). Application of probiotic bacteria in such products further enhances the nutritional value of the food product. Probiotic juices produced from fruits and vegetables have also been in consideration in recent years. The food market is being getting captured by pro- and prebiotic food products day-by-day. Even the agro-industrial by-products such as whey, wheat straw, rice straw, sugarcane bagasse, etc. are being explored for the economical and cost effective production of prebiotic molecules. Thus, this chapter gives a comprehensive overview of pro- and prebiotics and their market potential.

Abstract

The concern of consumers for convenience and healthy foods involves many parameters like functional and nutraceutical properties, ease to prepare, good quality, economics as well as good nutritional profile of the food. This trend of convenience has been increasing in today's world because of the societal changes like the aging of population, the increasing entry of women into the labor force, the change to a multi-cultured society and the increasing polarization between poor and rich. Value addition to the traditional sources is a medium to bring variety products into the market. Cereal starches possess a wide application in the food industry as an additive but the native starch is not widely used in food industry due to its poor functional properties. Pregelatinized starches and flours have become important in processed foods because the functional properties of the starches and flours are improved over the native starches and cereal flours. Modification is a process which alters the structure of the starch in the wheat endosperm by affecting the hydrogen bonds in a controllable manner. Modification of starch and flours is generally done by several methods such as chemical degradation, physical alteration or enzymatic transformation. The primary objective of modification is to reduce the hot viscosity of the starch paste so that higher concentrations of starch can be dispersed without excessive thickening. The pregelatinized flours offer a tremendous number of functional benefits to variety of foods such as bakeries, snacks, beverages as well as nutritional foods. The various functional benefits of pre-gelatinized starch/flour as an additive are classified as fat replacer, texture improver, stabilizer, emulsifier, thickening agent and for freeze-thaw stability. Keywords: Pregelatinization, modification, functionality, cereal flour.

Fruits represent a vital component of global agriculture, serving as not only a significant source of essential nutrients but also a lucrative sector of the economy. However, from the moment of their inception on the tree to their arrival on consumers’ tables, fruits undergo a complex journey influenced by a myriad of factors. Among these, pre-harvest practices wield a profound impact on fruit quality, enzymatic activities, texture, ripening, and ultimately, post-harvest transportation losses. Each pre-harvest practice, from mineral nutrition to harvesting methods, plays a distinct role in shaping the biochemical composition and physical attributes of fruits, ultimately affecting their marketability and shelf life. Mineral nutrition stands as one of the foundational pillars of fruit production, with essential minerals serving as building blocks for various biochemical processes. Irrigation practices represent another critical aspect of pre-harvest management, as water availability profoundly impacts fruit development and composition. Different irrigation regimes can influence enzymatic activities, fruit texture, and the timing of ripening, necessitating strategic water management to achieve desired fruit quality while minimizing post-harvest losses. Canopy regulation, achieved through training and pruning techniques, offers growers a means to manipulate light penetration and airflow within the orchard. Moreover, the application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) emerges as a tool for fine-tuning fruit development and ripening processes. By modulating hormonal signals, PGRs can alter enzymatic activities, influence fruit texture, and mitigate transportation losses. However, judicious application is paramount to avoid adverse effects on fruit quality and safety. Harvesting decisions, including the determination of optimal maturity and the timing and method of harvest, profoundly impact fruit quality and post-harvest losses.

Pre-Treatment Before Sowing

The natural conditions necessary for seeds to germinate are increased by pre sowing seed treatment. Many plants and trees’ seeds require a specific amount of time to mature in their immature portions and to overcome dormancy, which is the absence of certain elements that impede germination, so that the seeds can sprout. Depending on the type of seed, different environmental factors promote different levels of germination. For example, some seeds need to be kept in a very damp, cold environment, while others need to be kept in a dry, hot environment. Different techniques are employed to support seed survival and speed up germination, depending on the size of the lot, the species, the local conditions, and the availability of pertinent tools and facilities. Many species’ seeds don’t germinate successfully unless they are exposed to specific circumstances. Dormancy is the state in which seeds do not germinate unless certain circumstances are met. Conditions in the natural world could include being near fire or being eaten by animals.

Concept: A few of the numerous environmental elements that affect seed quality maintenance are moisture, temperature, humidity, and storage conditions. When some seedborne diseases or pests like insects are taken into consideration, seed quality can still be negatively impacted. Applying one or more pesticides to seed is the most economical and efficient way to keep pests away and improve seed quality.

Because pesticides are harmful, handling treated seeds after application requires additional caution and safety measures.

Definition of Treated Seed

The definition of “treated” is “application of a pesticide or subject seed to a process intended to reduce, control, or repel insects, disease organisms, or other pests which attack the seed or seedlings.”

Abstract

Prebiotics are the non-digestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or limited number of bacteria in the colon. These are heat resistant components which remain intact during the baking process; this allows prebiotics to be incorporated into every day food choices. Consumption of non-digestible ingredients allows the growth ofbio cultures by reaching the intestine unaffected by the digestion process resulting in improvement of digestive health. Prebiotics reach the intestine in an unaltered form and shows the prebiotic effect when there is an increase in the activity of healthy bacteria in the human intestine. The prebiotics stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the gut and increase resistance to invading pathogens. Functional foods increase consumer choice by adding prebiotics to every day food items such as cereals, biscuits, breads, table spreads, drinks, and yoghurts. By continuing to eat and drink common foods, but choosing functional alternatives (such as bread containing prebiotics) dietary requirements can be met, without significant changes to foodpreferences. Some common example of cereal based products containing prebiotics are oat-based prebiotic drink, Breakstone's and Knudsen live active cottage cheese, prebiotic yogurt- Attune and Muller vitality, multi-fruit drink enrich and flavoured water enrich, prebiotic flavoured water, prebiotic capsules, dried fruit bars, prebiotic powder- Biocare fructo-oligosaccharides, Newtree purplaisir chocolate spread. The claims are constipation relief, suppression of diarrhea and reduction of the risks of osteoporosis, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease associated with dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, obesity and possibly Type-2 diabetes. At present, claims about reduction of disease risk are only tentative and further research is needed.

The current world population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to United Nations (UN). With roughly 83 million people being added to the world’s population every year, the upward trend in population size is expected to continue, even assuming that fertility levels will continue to decline (UN, 2017). This means there will be an extra billion people to feed within the next decade. Continuing population and consumption growth will mean that the global demand for food will increase for at least another 50 years .The future’s food systems need to be resource efficient and sustainable. It is quite clear that the only way to grow more food is to increase the yield while saving the environment from further degradation. It is not just food, it is the four F’s – Food, Feed, Fiber and Fuel. Digitization has increased in importance for the agricultural sector and is described through concepts like Smart Farming (SF), Precision Farming (PF) and Precision Agriculture (PA).The only way to get higher yield from limited resources is by changing agriculture into what we call Precision Agriculture, Climate Smart Agriculture, or as I prefer to call it Water-Smart Agriculture”

Precision farming manages spatial and temporal variability within fields through targeted, data-driven interventions. Onion is particularly suited to precision management because its productivity and quality are sensitive to moisture, nutrients, environmental stress, pests and diseases. This chapter describes applications of GIS, GPS, variable-rate technology, IoT, cloud platforms, drones, remote sensing, multispectral imaging, smart sensors, artificial intelligence, automated systems and crop-response models. These technologies support soil assessment, field preparation, irrigation, fertilization, crop monitoring, stress detection, protection, yield estimation, harvesting and storage. Their potential to reduce input waste and improve profitability is considered alongside constraints involving investment costs, technical knowledge, connectivity, accessibility and data privacy.

According to Fereshteh et al. (2020) microorganisms use biofilm to protect themselves against the harmful effects of the host body immune system and the surrounding environment. This helps them to survive against the anti-microbial agents. Inhibition of bacterial biofilm formation is very time consuming and expensive. Newer computational tools have been found to be a good option to predict the inhibition of biofilm peptides. In a computational prediction tool a large number of peptide sequences can be screened to select the peptides for validation. Vectors are extracted from the peptide primary structure and classification algorithms are carried out which includes SVM, random forest and k-nearest neighbour to evaluate their performance. Using a combination of features, helps in good evaluation. National Institute of Health (NIH) has found out that 80% of bacterial pathogens form biofilms and their multicellular structure makes them resistant to the hosts’ defense systems and traditional antimicrobials than planktonic bacteria. Recently, the use of Antimicrobial peptides

Cordial is a sparkling, clear, sweetened fruit juice beverage from which pulp/ fibrous material has been removed completely. It contains at least 25% fruit juice, 30% total soluble solids (TSS), 1.5% acid and 350 ppm sulphur dioxide. Lemon and lime are the most suitable fruits for making cordial.
Recipe: The recipe for the preparation of cordial as a general guideline is as under:
Extract the juice from lime or lemon as in squash and store in glass bottles after adding potassium metabisulphite @ 1.0 g/kg of the juice. Allow the juice to settle for a month. Decant the clear juice without disturbing sediments and strain it through a fine muslin cloth. Prepare syrup by mixing sugar with water, boil, strain and allow to cool. On cooling, mix juice in syrup and strain the cordial through muslin cloth if necessary. Add KMS and fill into bottles. Stor in a cool and dry place.

Fruit nectar is a type of fruit beverage that contains not less than 20% fruit juice or pulp, not less than 15o B total soluble solids and acidity ranging between
0.3-0.5 % but not exceeding 1.5%/. For orange and pineapple nectar, the fruit juice shall not be less than 40%. The product is preserved by heat processing/ thermal processing, as such no chemical preservative is permitted in nectars. Unlike squashes, fruit nectar is served chilled as such without any dilution.
Mango, guava, pineapple, papaya, jamun etc., are the most suitable fruits for making nectar.
Recipe: As a general guideline, the following recipe is used for the preparation of fruit nectar:
Procedure
i. Select fully mature and ripe fruit and extract pulp as discussed under fruit pulp making but do not add any chemical preservative.

Fruit pulps are semi-finished products that are used for manufacturing finished value-added products like jam, ready-to-serve beverages, squash, appetizers etc. According to Food Laws, pulp refers to an unfermented but fermentable product, pulpy, turbid or clear, obtained by a mechanical process from sound ripe fruits/vegetables. These are preserved either by heat processing or by using chemical preservatives. The maximum preservative permitted under Indian Food Laws is 1000 ppm sulphur dioxide added in the form of potassium metabisulphite.
Mango, guava, apple, pineapple, papaya, bael, guava, peach, plum, apricot etc., are the most suitable fruits for making pulp for use in finished product preparation.
Procedure
i. Select fully mature and ripe fruit like mango, guava, apple, peach, apricot, kiwi, etc., and wash thoroughly.

Jam is prepared by boiling the fruit pulp with a sufficient quantity of sugar to a thick consistency, firm enough to hold fruit tissues in position. For the preparation of jam, not less than 45 parts of fruits are used for every 55 parts of sugar. The jam prepared by using two or more fruit pulps is called mixed fruit jam. Apple jam, apricot jam, mango jam, guava jam, pineapple jam, and mixed fruit jam prepared by using the pulp of two or more fruits are quite common. According to Food Safety & Standards Regulations,2011 the minimum TSS in the Jam shall not be less than 65%(w/w). Earlier the minimum limit was 68% (w/w)
Raw material, ingredients and utensils required
1. Fruits like mangoes, guava, apples, apricots, plum, peaches and kiwi etc singly or in combination
2. Stainless steel knives, de-corers, ladle, utensils for cooking and mixing, glass bottles (Jars), LPG or Diesel Bhatti, bucket/tub for washing, Stainless steel sieve, Steam Jacketted Kettle, Boiler (for the commercial unit) etc. 

Ready -to -Serve (RTS) drink is a type of fruit beverage that contains at least 10% fruit juice/pulp and 10o Brix total soluble solids with acidity ranging between 0.3-0.5%. The product is not diluted before serving like squash; hence it is called a ready-to-serve beverage. The product can be preserved by using 70 ppm SO2  or 120 ppm benzoic acid. Mango, orange, guava, lemon, lime, litchi, kiwi fruit, apricot, pineapple, etc., fruits are used for making RTS beverages. For lime & lemon drinks minimum level of juice content is 5% as per Indian Food Laws.
Recipe: As a general guideline, the following recipe is used for the preparation of ready-to-serve drinks:
Procedure
i. Select fully mature and ripe fruit like mango, guava, apricot, kiwi, etc., and wash thoroughly.
ii. Some fruits like mango, kiwi, pineapple, and litchi are peeled before heating. Apricots, guava, plums etc are not peeled. Place fruit after peeling in a pan/pressure cooker and boil till softening

Squash is a type of fruit beverage containing at least 25% fruit juice/pulp, not less than 40% total soluble solids (TSS), about 1-1.5% acid and not exceeding 350ppm sulphur dioxide or 600ppm sodium benzoate. Squash is diluted by adding cold/chilled water before serving (1:3).
Mango, orange, lemon, lime, litchi, guava, pineapple, jamun, plum, apricot, rhododendron petals etc., are used for making squash. Potassium metabisulphite (KMS) is generally used as a preservative, whereas sodium benzoate is used as a preservative in squash made from coloured fruits like plum, jamun, phalsa and rhododendron petals.
Recipe: A generalized recipe for the preparation of squashes from different
fruits as a general guideline is as under:

1. INTRODUCTION

Harvesting is the process of gathering the crops from the fields at maturity. The harvesting of a commodity means the end of the growing season for a particular crop. Harvesting is the most labour-intensive activity of the growing season. Harvesting in general includes an immediate post-harvest handling, the actions taken immediately after removing the crop are pre-cooling, sorting, cleaning, packaging and up to the point of on-farm processing or shipping to the wholesaler or consumer.

Harvest timing is a critical decision that balances the likely weather conditions with the degree of crop maturity. Weather conditions such as frost, rain and unseasonably warm or cold periods can affect yield and quality. These conditions can be avoided by harvesting the commodities earlier than the harvest date, but this may result in poor yield and quality. On the other hand, delayed harvesting also results in a better yield, but increases the risk of weather problems. Thus, proper harvesting timings of horticultural commodities often play an important role.

Assessment of harvesting time is a critical time for growers of fruit and vegetables to decide the accurate period of crop harvesting. Fresh produce is normally ready for harvest when it has developed to the ideal condition for consumption and the condition is usually referred to as harvest maturity. Harvest maturity thus refers to the time when the “fruit” is ready to harvest and the time required to reach market. The harvesting should be done earlier than its ideal maturity for proper marketing.

Most growers decide harvesting time for different commodities by looking and sampling. Judgments are based on colour, size and shape (Sight); texture, hardness or softness (Touch); odour/aroma (Smell); sweetness, sourness, bitterness (Taste) etc. Experience is the best guide for this kind of assessment. Harvest maturity can readily be observed in some fruit crops but it can be more difficult in case of some fruits like avocados remain unripe off the tree after maturity.

Materials Required

Fruit juice/ pulp, cane sugar, potable water, essence, citric acid, colours, preservatives, weighing balance, bottling and sealing facilities, hand refractometer, homogenizer etc.  

Procedure

    1.    Extract the juice as discussed in previous exercise.
    2.    Filter the fresh or preserved juice through muslin cloth.
    3.    Calculate the quantities of juice, sugar, water, acid (if required), preservatives, colour, essence etc. required for preparation of a known quantity of                      squash as per FPO specifications.
    4.    Prepare the beverage as directed by instructor
    5.    Pack the beverage in bottles 
    6.    Seal the bottles and label them
    7.    Take out one of the bottles and measure its TSS and titratable acidity.

Materials Required

Fruits or fruit pulp, steel pans, weighing balance, refractometer, sugar, salt, spices, acetic acid, citric acid etc. 

Procedure

    1.    Extract fruit pulp as told in earlier exercises. 
    2.    Take a known quantity of freshly extracted or preserved pulp.
    3.    Weigh sugar (about half the weigh of pulp).
    4.    Heat pulp and sugar over a gas flame.
    5.    Add spices, chillies, salt, citric acid (if required) etc. and cook
    6.    Record the TSS to judge the end point. It should be more than 50o Brix.
    7.    Add measured quantities of acetic acid and sodium benzoate at the end.
    8.    Cool and pack in pre-washed and sterilized glass jars
    9.    Label and store.

Fruit chutney is a product made in the same way as jam except that spices, salt, and acid (vinegar) in addition are added. The total soluble solids in chutney are] also less than that of jam. The product shall be of good quality with a palatable and appetizing taste. As per Food Safety and Standards Regulations, chutney\ shall contain a minimum of 40% fruit (w/w) in the final product with total soluble solids not less than 50%. The acidity in the final product shall not be more than 2% with ash content not exceeding 5%. However, for vegetablebased chutney as well as hot & sour (spicy) chutney, the TSS shall not be less than 25%.
Recipe: The generalized recipe for the preparation of chutney from different fruits is as under:

Jelly is prepared by boiling the fruit with or without the addition of water, straining the extract, and mixing the clear extract with sugar followed by cooking the mixture to a stage at which it will set to a clear gel. The jelly should be transparent, well set, but not too stiff, and have an original flavour of the fruit. It should be attractive in colour and should keep its shape when removed from the mould. As per FSSAI specification, the quantity of fruit and soluble solids in the final product (jelly and marmalade) shall not be less than 45 and 65 per cent (w/w) respectively. Jelly is made from fruit extract while jam is made from fruit pulp, therefore, jelly in contrast to jam is considered to be transparent and clear in appearance. Guava jelly is the most common commercial product.
Jellies: In the preparation of jellies, pectin is the most essential constituent which help in making the gel. Since, pectin is present in the cell walls of fruits as such fruit peel, whole or fruit slices along with a small quantity of water are gently boiled to extract the maximum proportion of pectin solution in the water extract. This water extract is used for the preparation of jelly.

Materials Required

Fruits juice, enzymes (pectinase, cellulase, pectinase CCM etc.), filter press, buchner filter apparatus, water bath, filter paper pulp, buchhi type rotary vacuum evaporator, freeze concentrator, membrane concentrator (whichever available), vacuum grease.

Procedure

    1.    Extract the juice as discussed in earlier exercises. Take a known quantity of juice in a conical flask.
    2.    Add enzymes i.e. pectinase @ 0.2% to the juice and keep in a water bath at temperature of 40-50ºC for 2 hrs.
    3.    Shake the flasks occasionally for uniform mixing of enzyme all throughout the flask during the enzymatic treatment.
    4.    Leave the flasks undisturbed for 10-12 hrs for allowing the insoluble solids to settle at the bottom of the flask.
    5.    Siphon the clear juice from the top of the flask.
    6.    Pass this siphoned juice through filter press or through a 0.4-0.5 cm thick bed of filter paper pulp in a Buchner filter apparatus or filter press.
    7.    Record the volume of the clarified juice obtained. Calculate the wastage.
    8.    Concentrate the juice in rotary vacuum evaporator at 50+2ºC temperature and at 28-30” Hg vacuum to a TSS of about 50 to 70º Brix. Record the exact TSS.
    9.    Record the volume of condensate obtained in the round bottom flask of the buchhi apparatus.
    10.    Calculate the folds of concentration

Fruit syrup is a beverage that contains at least 25% fruit juice/pulp, 65% total  soluble solids and acidity ranging between 1.2 -1.5%. It is preserved by using
350 ppm SO2 or 600 ppm benzoic acid. Fruit syrup is diluted before serving. Syrup can be made from the juice/pulp of jamun, ginger, lemon, phalsa, rose extract, bael, pomegranate, and brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) leaves/root extract, etc. Besides, a syrup/sharbat containing a minimum of 10 per cent of dry fruits is also regarded as fruit syrup.
Recipe: The generalized recipe for the preparation of syrups from different fruits is as under:

Materials Required

Apple (or any local fruit), fruit mill, hydraulic press, weighing balance, Refractometer/sugar pectinol, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, Saccharomyces cerevisiae culture, Potassium metabisulphite (KMS) etc.

Procedure

    1.    Take a known quantity of apple (or any other fruit) say 20 Kg
    2.    Extract the juice as discussed in earlier exercises.
    3.    Add about 200 ppm of kms.
    4.    Add sugar syrup to increase the TSS to about 20 – 24ºBrix.
    5.    To about 10 Kg of juice diammonium hydrogen phosphate (10 g) and pectinol (20-25 g are added).
    6.    Take about 500 ml of this mixture in a conical flask and add pure Saccharomyces cerevisiae culture @ 1 % and plug the neck with cotton. Keep at 22-24ºC to complete the fermentation within one day and yeast culture is ready.
    7.    Add this culture to about 10 Kg of must for further fermentation (i.e. culture is added @ 5% therefore 500 g is added to 10 Kg must).
    8.    Record the TSS of the must before fermentation.
    9.    Keep must for fermentation in big jars (narrow mouth) filled to about 75 % of their volume. Close the mouth of jars or bottles with cotton plug.
    10.    Allow fermentation to take place at 22-24ºC for about 10–15 days.
    11.    When no more bubbles are coming out of the jars, fermentation is complete. At this stage the TSS reaches about 7º Brix.
    12.    Siphon the wine. Add filter aids if wine is not clear.
    13.    Blend the wine with sweetening agents if required.
    14.    Fill in beer bottles by keeping a head space of about 2.5 cm followed by crown corking them.
    15.    Pasteurize the bottles by keeping at 62.5ºC for 20 min.

Materials Required

Fruit pulp, cane sugar, potable water, essence, citric acid, colours, preservatives, weighing balance, glass jars (500 ml capacity), jar closures, hand refractometer, steel pan, ladle etc.

Procedure

    1.    Select sound and fresh fruits, free from any blemishes. Generally a mixture of ripe and unripe fruits should be taken as the ripe fruits impart good flavour and the unripe fruits are rich in pectin, required for a good set.

    2.    Wash the fruits thoroughly. Cut into 4-8 pieces depending upon the fruit and size
    3.    Boil the fruit pieces for about 20-25 min in boiling water and pass through pulper to get a good pulp.
    4.    Weigh known quantity of fresh or preserved pulp and add about equal quantity of sugar (preferably in 45:55 ratio)
    5.    Cook the mixture on gas flame by occasional stirring. 
    6.    When the mixture becomes thick, perform sheet test.
    7.    Citric acid is added generally towards the end of cooking. Addition of all the acid in the beginning may result in stickiness and poor set. 
    8.    Remove from the flame when the mixture gives a clear sheet
    9.    Flavours, colours etc may also be added towards the end of boiling. 
    10.    Fill the jam in glass jars (preferably pre-warmed in hot air).
    11.    Close the jars with lug caps and allow to cool overnight.
    12.    Label and store in a cool place.