Emerging technologies in postharvest handling of fruits: Reducing losses and enhancing quality

Abstract:

Post-harvest waste of fruits has rapidly become a serious global issue within the past few decades. This waste, which varies from 40% to 44%, is impacted by a number of biological, social and physical elements in the food and beverage and agriculture industries. From the early phases of crop production to product consumption, this kind of waste happens across the supply chain. This makes the food hazardous and unfit for ingestion. Reducing fruit waste would open the door to long-term solutions for issues related to food security, food safety, economic sustainability and detrimental environmental effects. To maintain the nutritional value and safety of fresh fruit, sophisticated postharvest physical and chemical treatments as well as biocontrol techniques have been used in recent decades in addition to traditional methods. When dealing with quality loss brought on by the length of time it takes to transport goods to far-off markets, the employment of these techniques after harvesting is helpful. By streamlining procedures like sorting, grading, packaging and microbial detection, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies like machine learning, computer vision and IoT integration are cutting down on food waste and increasing shelf life. AI's incorporation into supply chain optimization and demand forecasting is enhancing food traceability, avoiding interruptions and lessening the impact on the environment.