Postharvest Biotechnology of Fruits and Vegetables

From early life, fruits and vegetables have provided a major part of human food intake, while starchy roots, tubers and grains have been the major sources of energy. At the turn of the twentieth century, supporting the growing human population became one of the most challenging concerns; therefore, systematic efforts in plant breeding focused not only on increasing the yield and protecting crops but also on good practices of harvesting, handling, transportation and storage of fresh crops, as losses vary from 20% to 45% from the farm to the table.