This document provides an overview of packaging operations for fruits and vegetables. It begins with learning objectives which are to explain the importance of packaging, criteria for choosing materials, types of materials, packing house handling, and pre-storage treatments. The document then covers these topics in more detail, including describing different packaging materials, criteria for selection, practices in packing houses, and various pre-storage treatments such as cleaning, sorting, waxing, pre-cooling, and chemical treatments. The overall purpose is to discuss the important steps in packaging and pre-storage handling of fruits and vegetables to prolong shelf life.

1. Lecture 4
PACKAGING OPERATIONS
ON FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the learners are expected to:
1. explain the importance of proper packaging in
prolonging the shelf life of fruits and vegetables;
2. enumerate the criteria for choosing the proper
packaging materials;
3. identify different types of packaging materials;
4. explain the different practices in packing house
handling ; and
5. explain various pre-storage treatments for fresh fruits
and vegetables.

3. LESSON OUTLINE
1. Importance of Proper Packaging in Prolonging the Shelf
Life of Fruits and Vegetables
2. Criteria for Choosing the Proper Packaging Materials
3. Types of Packaging Materials
4. Packing House Handling
5. Pre-Storage Treatments for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

4. Packaging fresh fruits and vegetables is one
of the more important steps in the long and
complicated journey from grower to consumer.
Bags, crates, hampers, baskets, cartons,
bulk bins, and palletized containers are
convenient containers for handling, transporting,
and marketing fresh produce.
Importance of Packaging Materials in Prolonging
the Post Harvest life of Fruits and Vegetables

5. Packing and packaging
materials contribute a
significant cost to the
produce industry.
It is important that packers,
shippers, buyers, and
consumers have a clear
understanding of the wide
range of packaging options
available.

7. CRITERIA IN CHOOSING
THE RIGHT PACKAGING
Recyclability/Biodegradability
.
A growing number of
municipalities have waste
disposal restrictions for
packaging materials.
In the near future, almost all
produce packaging will be
recyclable or biodegradable, or
both.
Many of the largest buyers of
fresh produce are also those
most concerned about
environmental issues.

8. Variety
The trend is toward
greater use of bulk
packages for
processors and
wholesale buyers and
smaller packages for
consumers.
There are now more
than 1,500 different
sizes and styles of
produce packages.

9. Sales Appeal.
High quality graphics
are increasingly
being used to boost
sales appeal. Multi-
color printing,
distinctive lettering,
and logos are now
common.

10. Shelf Life
Modern produce
packaging can be
custom engineered for
each commodity to
extend shelf life and
reduce waste.

11. Container
The container must
enclose the produce in
convenient units for
handling and
distribution.
The produce should fit
well inside the
container, with little
wasted space.

12. Small produce items
that are spherical or
oblong (such as
potatoes, onions,
and apples) may be
packaged efficiently
utilizing a variety of
different package
shapes and sizes.

13. Protection
The package must
protect the produce
from mechanical
damage and poor
environmental
conditions during
handling and
distribution.

14. Produce containers
must be sturdy
enough to resist
damage during
packaging, storage,
and transportation to
market.

15. Identification
The package must
identify and provide useful
information about the
produce.
It is customary (and
may be required in some
cases) to provide
information such as the
produce name, brand, size,
grade, variety, net weight,
count, grower, shipper, and
country of origin.

16. In consumer marketing, pack-
age appearance has also become
an important part of point of sale
displays.
Universal Product Codes (UPC or
bar codes) may be included as
part of the labeling. The UPCs
used in the food industry consist
of a ten-digit machine readable
code.
Efficient use of UPCs requires
coordination with everyone who
handles the package

17. Types of Packaging Materials
Wood
Pallets literally form the base on which most
fresh produce is delivered to the consumer.
Because many are of a non-standard size,
the pallets are built as inexpensively as
possible and discarded after a single use
Although standardization efforts have been
slowly under way for many years, the efforts
have been accelerated by pressure from
environmental groups, in addition to the
rising cost of pallets and landfill tipping fees.

19. In the early 1950s, an alternative to the pallet
was introduced.
It is a pallet-size sheet (slipsheet) of
corrugated fiberboard or plastic (or a
combination of these materials) with a narrow
lip along one or more sides.
Packages of produce are stacked directly on
this sheet as if it were a pallet.
Once the packages are in place, they are
moved by a specially equipped fork lift
equipped with a thin metal sheet instead of
forks.

22. For the most part, the
preparation of produce
for market is carried out in a
packing house, which may
range from a simple, on-the-
farm thatched shed to an
automated regional packaging
line handling large tonnages of
a single commercial crop like
citrus fruit.
Packing House Handling

23. Packinghouse handling
include:
Sorting: removes foreign matter
(stones, leaves, debris)
Cleaning and washing: hand washing or
on a line use only clean running water
Fungicide treatment: post-harvest
application of fungicide is usual on
crops such as bananas, yams and citrus
fruit which are to be stored for a long
period or those which undergo long
periods of transport to distant markets.
Quality selection and grading: manually
or on a packing line

24. Use chlorinated water to
wash produce
Change water when dirty
Wash, rinse and sanitize
packing lines surfaces at end of
each day
Store packaging material in a
clean area
Recommended Practices in
Packing Houses

26. Packing or Packaging
 Suitable packages and
handling techniques can
reduce the amount of damage
to which fresh produce is
exposed during marketing
 Packaging should be
designed to prevent physical
damage to produce, and be
easy to handle

27. Selection of packaging for fresh produce
Besides providing a uniform-size package to
protect the produce, there are other
requirements for a container:
it should be easily transported when empty
it must be easy to assemble, fill and close
either by hand or by use of a simple machine;
it must provide adequate ventilation for
contents during transport and storage;
its capacity should be suited to market
demands;

28. Selection of packaging
its dimensions and design must be
suited to the available transport in order
to load neatly and firmly;
it must be cost-effective in relation to
the market value of the commodity for
which used;
it must be readily available, preferably
from more than one supplier.

32. Next
Pre-Storage Treatments

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Pre-Storage treatments
Introduction
Pre storage treatments are the
treatments given to a commodity (fruits and
vegetables) generally after harvesting to reduce
postharvest losses, enhance storage life and
retain quality.

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Pre-Storage treatments
Some of the important pre storage
treatments are :
Cleaning,
Washing,
Sorting,
Grading,
Waxing,
Packing,
Pre cooling,
Curing,
Desapping,
Chemical treatments,
Irradiation,
Vapour heat treatment

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Pre-Storage treatments
1. Cleaning
This is a treatment given to remove adhering dust,
dirt, extraneous matter, pathogenic load etc. from
the surface of a commodity.
Cleaning basically sanitizes the produce and avoid
entry of undesirable contents to enter the
packaging and storage line.
Cleaning is a broader term and includes, dusting,
washing etc.
Methods of cleaning
i. Dry method (Dusting etc.)
ii. Wet method (Washing)

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Pre-Storage treatments
i. Dusting
This method is mainly used to remove the
adhering soil, etc from commodity i.e.
potato, root vegetables, carrot, radish etc.
Dusting helps to shed undesirable load
(weight) of the commodity and thus reduce
transportation cost.
It also removes pathogenic microorganisms
present in the soil from the surface of the
vegetables.

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Pre-Storage treatments
ii. Washing
This method is used in most fruits and vegetables.
Washing is done at the pack house through
automated washing system fitted with overhead
sprayers and smooth rotating brushes to clean and
wash the fruits.
Washing with clean water mixed with a neutral
detergent at 0.1% (1 ml / litre of water) is
effective.
The process of cleaning and washing will take 3-5
minutes. The temperature of water should be at
room temperature (270
C).

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Pre-Storage treatments
2. Sorting and Grading
This may be done manually or by
using a machine.
Fruits are graded on the basis of
their colour, size and weight and
sorted for freeness from
damage/ diseases.

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Pre-Storage treatments
At the sorting and grading table,
trained workers wearing gloves sort out
the oversized and undersized fruits,
immature/ scarred/ blemished fruits,
diseased/insect damaged fruits and as well
as fruits with sap injury (in mango) under
the supervision of quality supervisor.
The segregated fruits in the grader
machine kept in plastic crates are removed
at the end each working shift from the
process area and are distinctly labeled for
disposal.

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Pre-Storage treatments
Difference between Sorting and Grading
Sorting Grading
1. Undesirable type of fruits i.e.
diseased, damaged, deformed
are removed
1. Fruits and vegetables are
categorized according to
difference in their weight, size,
colour, maturity etc.
2. Done primarily to reduce
spread of infection to other
fruits
2. Done to fetch better price in
the market.

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Pre-Storage treatments
3. Waxing / Coating
It is the process of applying
wax on the surface of
commodity by spraying, dip or
immersion, brushing, fogging or
foaming.
Some fruits develop natural
fruit wax on their surface at the
time of maturity. i.e. plum,
apple, citrus, grapes etc.

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Pre-Storage treatments
This has its role in reducing water
loss fro the commodity and thus
reducing shriveling and weight loss.
While handling care is taken to
touch the fruits as minimum as
possible to retain as much of the
natural wax (also called bloom) on
the fruit.
Types of waxes: Paraffin wax,
carnauba wax, bee wax etc

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Pre-Storage treatments
Advantages of waxing:
•Improve appearance of fruit
•Reduce moisture loss by 30-50%
and retards wilting/ shriveling
•Heals minor injuries
•Protects fruits from minor
infections
•Provides modified atmosphere
and increase shelf life
•Acts a carrier for various
chemicals etc

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Pre-Storage treatments
4. Pre-cooling
It is the prompt cooling of the commodity
immediately after harvest (generally within
24 hrs of harvest), to its safe storage
temperature , which aims at removal of field
heat.
Rate of cooling depends on
• Initial product temperature
• Rate of flow of cooling media around the
commodity
• Temperature difference between produce
and cooling media
• Thermal conductivity of produce

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Pre-Storage treatments
There are different cooling
methods followed for different
commodities.
Some fungicides may be mixed in
water during hydro-cooling to
reduce decay incidence .
Weight loss during forced air
cooling can be reduced by
maintaining high (95%) relative
humidity in the pre-cooling
chamber

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Pre-Storage treatments
5. Chemical treatment
Various chemicals are applied to fruits and vegetables
in order to control postharvest diseases and pest
infestations.
Methods of application of chemicals
i.Dipping: The commodity is immersed in water
containing appropriate concentration of chemical
which is toxic to the pathogen.
However, the concentration of chemical should
not be toxic to the fruit/ vegetable and should not
endanger public health.

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Pre-Storage treatments

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Pre-Storage treatments
For improving the efficacy of the dip
treatment and better surface coating
some wetting agents may also be added.
The effectiveness of the fungicidal
solution may also be enhanced by
hearting the water in which the fruit is
being dipped.
500 ppm of benomyl in water at 50-55
min, for 2 to 15 min is effective for
controlling anthracnose in mango without
damaging the fruit.

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Pre-Storage treatments
6. Curing
It is technique where the commodity is
left in the field itself in a heap under shade for
few days.
It is an effective operation to reduce water
loss during storage from hardy vegetables e.g.
onion, garlic, sweet potato etc.
In case of onion curing is a drying process
intended to dry off the necks and 2-3 outer
scales of the bulbs to prevent the loss of
moisture and the attack by decay during
storage.

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Pre-Storage treatments
The dry under-layer
should have an attractive
appearance.
Onions are cured
generally when they have
lost 3 to 5% of their weight.
Generally, are dried in the
field by stacking in a warm,
covered area with good
ventilation.

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Pre-Storage treatments
Onion and garlic can also be
cured by tying the tops of the
bulbs in bunches and hanging
them on a horizontal support of
pole, wire etc. pole in a well-
ventilated and shaded place.
Curing in shade improves bulb
colour.

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Pre-Storage treatments
The essential conditions
during curing are:
o Heat (~ 30o
C)
o Good ventilation
o Low humidity

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Pre-Storage treatments
7. Irradiation
Irradiation is a treatment
given to various fruits and
vegetables to control different
postharvest diseases and disorders.
Fruits are exposed to various
doses of electromagnetic radiations
for small durations (few sec to few
min.) of time under highly controlled
conditions.

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Pre-Storage treatments
8. Vapour heat treatment
This was developed to control
infections of fruit flies in fruits.
The treatment consists of stacking
the fruits in boxes in a room which
is heated and humidified by
injection of steam.
The temperature and exposure
time may be adjusted depending
upon the stage at which the fly is to
be killed i.e. egg, larvae, pupa or
adult.

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Pre-Storage treatments
The most difficult stage to control
by VHT is larval stage as the insect
goes further into the fruit and away
from the surface thus requiring high
temperatures for short time.
Generally the treatment of citrus,
papaya, mango or pineapples may
be given at 43o
C in saturated air for
8 hrs followed by maintaining the
temperature for further 6 hrs.

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Pre-Storage treatments
8. Desapping
Desapping of mango fruits is carried out
in processing area by trained workers
under the supervision of processing
supervisor.
Desapping is done by holding the
mango fruits upside down while cutting
the stalk of fruits.
The stalks of mango fruits are cut very
carefully to 0.5 to 1.0 cm by trained
workers by using a scissor with sharp long
nose to avoid causing skin injury.

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Pre-Storage treatments
For exports, the pedicel
of the fruits is cut approximately
at a length of 1 cm from the fruit
with the help of sharp scissors
and fruits are kept up side down
in special knitted pallets, for two
hours so that the latex flows out
from the fruit completely.
Care should be taken that
the latex drop does not fall on
the fruit.

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Pre-Storage treatments
Let us sum up
• Pre storage treatments are the treatments given to a
commodity (fruits and vegetables in present context)
generally after harvesting to reduce postharvest losses,
enhance storage life and retain quality.
• Cleaning removes adhering dust, dirt, extraneous
matter, pathogenic load etc. from the surface of a
commodity. Dusting, washing etc. are methods of
cleaning.

59. NextEnd Previous
Pre-Storage treatments
• Fruits are graded on the basis of their colour, size and
weight and sorted for freeness from damage/
diseases.
• Waxing is the process of applying wax on the surface
of commodity by spraying, dip or immersion,
brushing, fogging or foaming.
• Pre-cooling is the prompt cooling of the commodity
immediately after harvest (generally within 24 hrs of
harvest), to its safe storage temperature , which aims
at removal of field heat.

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Pre-Storage treatments
• Chemicals are applied by spraying, dusting,
dipping etc. for reducing disease incidence during
storage.
• Irradiation is application of radiation under
controlled conditions to reduce incidence of
disease or disorders.

61. Presentation 3.2
Packing andPacking and
packagingpackaging
Definir actores/roles/
Expectativas.
• poor packing design (reduces efficiency and increases
the risk of mechanical and biological hazards).
• improper packing (lack of ventilation, low material
resistance, sharp and wrinkled surfaces, etc.).
• Over packing (many product layers).
Associated Hazards

62. Definir actores/roles/
Expectativas.
• Inappropriate pile up during packing.
• packing products with different degree of maturity.
• mechanical damages caused by personnel or improper
design of mechanical grading machines.
• Problems regarding over-handling of products and
inappropriate process flows during post-harvest handling.
Packing andPacking and
packagingpackaging Associated
Hazards

63. Thank You!