Postharvest Biology and Technology of Fruits, Vegetables, and Flowers

Chapter 21
Changes in Nutritional Quality of Fruits
and Vegetables During Storage
Mohini Sharma, Carole Sitbon, Jayasankar Subramanian, and
Gopinadhan Paliyath
21.1 Introduction
Fruits and vegetables are very important in our day-to-day living. They are valuable sources
of vitamins, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants, which are essential for a healthy and wellbalanced
diet. Consumers prefer to buy fruits and vegetables of high quality based on their
appearance (color), sensory quality (texture and taste), and nutritive values. However, fruits
and vegetables are highly perishable commodities. As well, recent increase in the consumer
demand for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables has increased the industry considerably. Just as in
fresh fruits and vegetables, during postprocessing storage, fresh-cut materials are subjected
to additional stress factors such as wounding and pathogen infection. In all these situations,
the nutritional quality of the produce or products may change, sometimes negatively (Gil
et al., 2006).
Fruits and vegetables have a high market value, and the maintenance of quality after
harvest is an important issue to growers. Several factors, such as environmental conditions,
cultivars, cultural practices, susceptibility to pests and diseases, time of harvest, and postharvest
conditions, determine the quality of these commodities. As quality greatly affects the
consumers’ preferences, it is a key factor for the marketing of fresh fruits overseas. To
gain the best value for growers, storage operators, and consumers, it is very important to
maintain quality throughout preharvest development, postharvest storage, and subsequent
distribution and marketing chains.
During ripening, several biosynthetic pathways contribute to the development of
organoleptic qualities in fruits. An ideal quality development in fruit is contributed by
the degradation of starch into sugars and that of cell wall, as well as the biosynthesis of several
secondary metabolites, which provide color and flavor to the fruits. The developments
of ideal color, flavor, sugar levels, and optimal firmness are key parameters that provide
satisfactory fruit quality.
21.2 Ripening and softening of fruits
Ripening of fruits is a complex process. A series of physiological, biochemical, and
organoleptic changes occur during ripening that transform an inedible fruit into an edible
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