Applied knowledge to preserve quality, prevent losses and make better decisions from harvest to consumption.
Prevent deterioration before it becomes a loss
Postharvest life depends on the interaction between the product, its environment, time and handling operations. This Centre brings together physiology, quality, cold-chain management, packaging, sanitation and management to support informed action.
Products and deterioration
Understand how respiration, transpiration, ripening, senescence and damage affect shelf life.
- Postharvest physiology
- Quality and maturity
- Ethylene and compatibility
Risks and critical points
Identify where quality is lost and measure the variables that help prioritise decisions.
- Temperature and humidity
- Damage and decay
- Shelf life and losses
Handling and preservation
Select practices suited to the product, the market and the available infrastructure.
- Precooling and refrigeration
- Packaging and atmospheres
- Handling and hygiene
Performance and improvement
Check that measures preserve quality and reduce losses without shifting the problem elsewhere.
- Quality indicators
- Loss monitoring
- Review and learning
From product biology to operational decisions
Physiology and quality
Maturity, respiration, ethylene, senescence, composition and sensory attributes.
Cold-chain management
Temperature, relative humidity, precooling, storage and transport.
Preservation technologies
Packaging, modified atmospheres, coatings, 1-MCP and emerging treatments.
Minimally processed products
Processing operations, tissue damage, food safety, shelf life and quality retention.
Diagnosing deterioration
Symptoms, likely causes, incompatibilities and corrective actions.
Postharvest losses
Quantity, economic value, nutritional quality and avoidable environmental impacts.
Fundamentals for planning and managing preservation
Cold Chain and Shelf Life
Temperature, humidity, precooling, monitoring and responses to deviations, taking respiration, water loss and chilling injury into account.
Explore the guide (in Spanish)Storage and Transport Compatibility
Criteria for assessing mixed loads based on temperature, humidity, ethylene, odours, ventilation and the expected duration.
Explore the guide (in Spanish)Fruit and Vegetable Postharvest Assistant
Explore product-specific recommendations, storage conditions, compatibility, ethylene, packaging and actions to address deterioration. Designed for growers, markets, retailers, technical professionals, trainers and consumers.
A learning pathway that will grow in stages
New practical guides will cover damage diagnosis, preservation technologies and minimally processed products.