The ultimate goal of crop production is to provide quality produce to consumers
at reasonable rates. Most fresh produce is highly perishable, and postharvest
losses are significant under the present methods of management in many
countries. However, significant achievements have been made during the last few
years to curtail postharvest losses in fresh produce and to ensure food security
and safety as well. These include advancements in breeding horticultural crops
for quality improvement; postharvest physiology; postharvest pathology and
entomology; postharvest management of fruits, vegetables, and flowers;
nondestructive technologies to assess produce quality; minimal processing of
fruits and vegetables; as well as innovations in packaging and storage
technology of fresh