Storage Technologies for Horticulture Crops

The techniques for storing food are crucial and can bring in a lot of money for the agricultural and food businesses. Just after China, India is the world’s second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables as a result of its unique climatic circumstances. The National Horticulture Database reports that India produced 209.14 and 107.50 million metric tons of fruits and vegetables, respectively, between 2021 and 2022 (Anonymous, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, MoA & FW, Government of India, India, 2022). With a growing area of 11.37 million hectares for vegetables and 7.06 million hectares for fruits, there is a sizable export potential. However, because most crops are perishable and seasonal, they are extremely vulnerable to changes in the temperature and humidity of the environment, which limits both their availability and quality. As a result, there is an urgent need to transform these products into different forms in order to assure an extended time of availability, as well as to extend the shelf life of these fruits and vegetables through effective storage solutions. Clamps, ventilated buildings, vaults, and evaporative cooling chambers are a few examples of classic, economical storage structures. Contrarily, contemporary storage methods, such as cold or refrigerated storage, modified atmospheric packing, controlled atmospheric storage, and hypobaric storage, are useful in big enterprises and provide incredibly efficient storage options. Both kinds of institutions are equally important for growing nations like India.