Abstract
Quality of fruits and vegetables is a combination of attributes or properties that give them value in terms of human food. Components of quality include appearance, texture, flavor, and nutritive value (Table 1). Growers and shippers are concerned that their commodities have good appearance and few visual defects. But to them a useful cultivar of a given commodity must score high on yield, disease resistance, ease of harvest, and shipping quality. Plant breeders have given these characteristics higher priority over flavor and nutritional quality. To receivers and market distributors, quality of appearance is most important; they are also keenly interested in firmness and long storage life. Traditionally, postharvest biology and technology research has concentrated on using appearance and texture as parameters for quality evaluation (28). Consumers see quality fruits as ones that look good, are firm, and offer good flavor and nutritive value. Although they buy on the basis of appearance and feel, their satisfaction is dependent upon good eating quality.
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© 1983 Plenum Press, New York
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Kader, A.A. (1983). Postharvest Quality Maintenance of Fruits and Vegetables in Developing Countries. In: Lieberman, M. (eds) Post-Harvest Physiology and Crop Preservation. Nato Advanced Study Institutes Series, vol 46. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0094-7_21
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