Preface

Postharvest technology is used to manage crops after harvest to maintain the quality of food. After harvesting, crops lose their self-protection systems, continue metabolism activities, and are prone to microbial attack; as a result, crops begin to spoil. Postharvest management includes processing, preserving, drying, storing, and protecting crops from pests and microorganisms. As such, postharvest management supports food safety and security by reducing losses. There has been much research conducted worldwide on food and safety issues. This book, *Postharvest Technology - Recent Advances, New Perspectives and Applications*, addresses some important aspects of postharvest technologies of food products. It is organized into four sections containing eleven chapters.

The introductory section opens with the chapter "Challenges and Measures to Recapitalise Handling of Postharvest Crops in Developing Countries" by Dr. Ryusuke Oishi. The chapter is an introduction to the constraints and potential measurements of recapitalization of handling and postharvest for food storage, processing, and distribution. The chapter also describes long-term utilization of capital in postharvest handling to reduce losses. Postharvest loss in developing countries is mainly attributable to a lack of capital and technology for food storage, processing (i.e., threshing, drying, and packaging), and distribution. This chapter investigates the causes and potential measurements of postharvest losses in developing countries.

Section 2, "Postharvest Preservation Technology for Field Crops", contains two chapters: Chapter 2, "Postharvest Preservation Technology of Cereals and Legumes" by Theophilus M. Ikegwu, Clement C. Ezegbe, Chioke A. Okolo and Chigozie E. Ofoedu, and Chapter 3, "Stored Grain Pests and Current Advances for Their Management" by Rayees Ahmad, Shafiya Hassan, Showkat Ahmad, Syed Nighat, Yendrambamb K. Devi, Kounser Javeed, Salma Usmani, Mohammad Javed Ansari, Sait Erturk, Mustafa Alkan, and Barkat Hussain. Both chapters address preservation technologies for cereal grains and legumes and describe management techniques for protecting stored grain from pest attack.

Section 3, "Postharvest Disease Management of Fruits and Vegetables," includes Chapter 4, "Robotic Heat Treatments for Mango and Prickly Pear Increase Shelf Life and Reduce Pathogen Infection" by Federico Félix Hahn Schlam; Chapter 5, "Postharvest Diseases of Vegetable Crops and Their Management" by Atma Nand Tripathi, Shailesh Kumar Tiwari, and Tushar Kanti Behera; and Chapter 6, "Advances in Postharvest Disinfestation of Fruits and Vegetables Using Hot Water Treatment Technology-Updates from Africa" by Shepard Ndlela, Nelson L. Mwando, and Samira A. Mohamed. Postharvest diseases threaten food safety, quality, and security. Proper management of postharvest diseases is important for protecting crops. These three chapters identify postharvest diseases and describe remedies for lengthening the shelf life of selected fruits and vegetables.

Finally, Section 4, "Postharvest Processing and Packaging", includes Chapter 7, "Advances in Postharvest Packaging Systems of Fruits and Vegetable" by Trina Adhikary and Durga Hemanth Kumar; Chapter 8, "Postharvest Technology of Tamarind" by P. Sudha, P. Rajkumar, A. Astina Joice, I.P. Sudagar, and R. Arulmari; Chapter 9, "Processing of Tree Nuts" by Chang Chen and Zhongli Pan; Chapter 10, "Edible Coating" by Kofi Owusu-Akyaw Oduro; and Chapter 11, "Postharvest Processing, Value Addition and Marketing of Mushrooms" by Mahesh Prasad Thakur, Harvinder K. Singh, and Chandra Shekhar Shukla. Developing food products from agricultural produce and then packaging and coating the products is important for shelf life and marketing. Chapters in this section discuss the processing technology, packaging, and marketing of selected fruits and vegetables.

Overall, this book presents important information on postharvest technology from internationally reputed authors. It is designed for policy-makers, producers, food processors, industry workers, researchers, and other stakeholders. It is a useful resource for learning about the applications of postharvest technology for reducing losses and enhancing the shelf life of crops. It also serves as a guide to future researchers in the important area of postharvest technology.

> **Md Ahiduzzaman** Department of Agro-Processing, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh

Section 1 Introduction
