Physiological and biochemical interactions for extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables: A review

Postharvest Physiology is the scientific study of the physiology of living plant tissues after they are denied further nutrition by picking from the parent plant. About one -third of the fruits produced worldwide are never consumed by humans due to loss at various stages and the loses are generally more in developing countries in comparison with developed countries especially when compared between production and retail sites (Kader 2005). Fruits, in general, show two distinctive respiratory patterns during ripening and on this basis fruits are categorized into climacteric and non-climacteric groups (Kader and Barrett 2003). Post-harvest physiology has direct applications to postharvest handling in establishing the storage and transport conditions that best prolong shelf life, for example 1- Methyl Cyclopropene (1-MCP) is an inhibitor of ethylene perception that can delay or prevent ripening and senescence processes in plant tissues (Sisler and Serek, 2003). Pre harvest factors also effect the post-harvest life of fruits and vegetables. Controlled atmosphere storage has been shown to be effective in reducing the post-harvest losses and prolonging the life of the produce by proper management of respiration via alteration in the gaseous composition and storage temperature. Proper understanding of the biochemistry and the underlying physiological factors will go a long way in minimising the post-harvest losses and thereby improving the socio-economic condition of the farmers particularly in the developing countries.