**3. Why post harvest technology?**

The food processing industry in India encompasses wide variety of products including fruits and vegetables, milk and poultry, meat and its products, alcoholic beverages, fisheries, grain processing and confectionaries like chocolates, cocoa

#### *Role of Post-Harvest Physiology in Evolution of Transgenic Crops DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94694*

products, soya based products, high protein products and many more. The agricultural and food products when gets detached from plant or being harvested are prone to various physiological, biochemical and biological events that results in its degradation of loss of commodity. Thus, it is necessary to adopt and practice some measures in order to reduce the loss of food commodities. Several measures can be taken in order to minimize the loss which includes reduction in moisture content, control of microorganisms, denaturation of endogenous enzymes and ensuring proper packaging of food materials. Postharvest technology plays a vital role in flourishing the food industry by minimizing losses and spoilage and value addition of commodities. It ensures the use of optimum harvest factors, utilizes modern machinery to ensure reduced losses due to handling, packaging, storage and transportation as well. It mainly aims to meet the food requirement for growing population by minimizing losses and enhancing nutritive value of food products. Postharvest technology is well established in large as well as small scale industries. The storage of food products can be prolonged by adapting several technologies like use of thermal processing, drying, low temperature, chemical and biological reactions couples with several preservation technologies etc. Postharvest technology opens new opportunities for marketing of food products as processed food commodities are gaining popularity among consumers and it also generate new employment opportunities among individuals. The fundamental objective underlying in postharvest technology sector is to maintain quality of produce after harvest in terms of texture, appearance, flavor etc, to ensure proper safety of food and to reduce loss of food and agricultural commodities from harvest to consumption.
