Importance of maturity indexing in postharvest management of selected subtropical and temperate fruits.

Abstract

Maturing is the first major stage at which postharvest management of fruits starts. In addition to poor organoleptic quality and a shorter shelf life, prematurely harvested and overripe fruits have been reported to be most susceptible to physiological disorders, pests, and diseases. Therefore it is important to harvest fruits at optimum maturity. Mature fruits also contain fully developed tissues that make them less sensitive to mechanical injuries. Furthermore, mature fruit becomes less sensitive to a change in environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric composition, than premature and overripe fruits. These ease harvesting, handling, and application of postharvest treatments such as maintaining the cold chain throughout the whole supply chain without the risk of quality loss. Monitoring a change in biochemical constituents helps to determine the optimum maturity or stage at which fruits should be harvested. Little has been done in discussing the importance of maturity indexing on the postharvest management of fruits, such as avocado, tomato, citrus, and apples, and therefore these will be critically discussed in this chapter.