Section III. Quality maintenance and enhancement throughout the fresh fruits and vegetables chain

GUIDELINES TO STUDY SECTION III

General information

OBJECTIVES

• To provide a clear understanding of the quality concept supporting the implementation of quality and safety assurance programs in the horticultural sector.

• To provide practical guidance on applying the principles of appropriate fresh fruit and vegetables post-harvest management, to maintain and optimize product quality, assure its safety and secure an efficient chain.

TIME FRAME

8 hours

METHODOLOGY

Teams discuss the reading references, presentations and case studies.

PLAN

In Part I, the trainer explains the complexities and subtleties underlying the concept of quality as applied to the agri-food sector, underlying its components, the implicit and explicit needs to which a product must conform and the implications of this new approach throughout the chain. Activity 1 will be used for this purpose, a simple definition of quality to which progressively new elements are incorporated to explain the complexity of the notion. The participants assembled in teams and with the support of reference materials, analyse the importance of processes for the quality of horticultural produce, considering relations between standardization, certification of quality attributes and accreditation of certification systems.

Part II considers the importance of appropriate post-harvest handling of produce to preserve quality as a differentiating factor and as a market opening tool.

The trainer will use Presentation 3.2, on the processes of respiration, transpiration and ethylene production, relating directly with the senescence of perishable produce. Using examples he will clearly identify the relations between primary causes of produce deterioration (biological/physiological/mechanical/physical) and other causes resulting from inadequate handling during harvest and post-harvest (transportation, packaging, storage, etc.). The trainer will briefly show some available technologies minimizing quality and safety losses and making the post-harvest handling of produce more efficient (reduced microbiological contamination, minimized water losses, reduced ethylene damage and insect control).

A case study, based on hazard analysis (damages) associated to quality losses, clarifies strategies to approach quality assurance programmes for fresh horticultural produce.

Finally, teams discuss the limitations detected in post-harvest of fresh fruits and vegetables for each country from the standpoint of infrastructure, available information, research and training of the actors in the chain.

EXPECTED RESULTS

By the end of the session the participants will,

From Part 1:

• have a clear understanding of the components of quality and the procedures involved to determine produce quality;

• have identified the relations between quality standardization processes, quality certification processes and accreditation of certification systems required for the successful implementation of quality and safety assurance programs.

From Part 2, identify:

• opportunities provided by post-harvest technologies to profit from market openings, reduce inefficiencies in the chain and improve competiveness;

• critical procedures to maintain quality and safety of fresh fruits and vegetables, throughout the post-harvest handling chain; available post-harvest technologies that reduce risks associated with quality losses and safety of horticultural produce.

TRAINING MATERIALS

Part I. The concept of quality as applied to fresh fruits and vegetables

Activity 1. The concept of quality as applied to fresh fruits and vegetables

GUIDELINES FOR TRAINERS

Participants will play the role of main actors in the chain-producer, conventional and specialized trader, consumer and supporting institutions and define the concept of quality from their own perspective (Material 3.1). During the brainstorming session the trainer will provide a better understanding of the notion and its components, assisted by a power point presentation (Presentation 3.1) and draw the relevant conclusions (taking into account the concept subjectiveness and complexities and identifying the different components of quality). Material 3.2 is a reference reading to assist trainers.

MATERIAL 3.1 THE CONCEPT OF QUALITY FROM THE STANDPOINT OF ACTORS IN THE CHAIN

Producers:

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Conventional traders:

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Specialized traders:

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Consumers:

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Supporting institutions:

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MATERIAL 3.2. REFERENCE READING FOR TRAINERS.

"THE CONCEPT OF QUALITY IN THE HORTICULTURAL SECTOR"

QUALITY: WHAT IS IT?

Richard J. Schonberger claims that quality is like art, everybody praises it, "everybody recognizes it, but each one has its own understanding of what it is". Objectively, quality is the aptitude of a good (product) or service to satisfy the needs of its users. ISO Standard 8402:1987 defines quality as "The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs".

This definition implies "consumer’s satisfaction", fulfilling their needs and expectations, in an organization committed to continuous improvement and effectiveness. The five important words associated with quality are then:

Aptitude, Satisfaction, Need, User and Continuous Improvement

It is therefore essential when producing quality products to know who will be the user(s) of the product and what are the specific and constantly changing needs to be addressed. For agrifood products, quality may be regarded as a complex characteristic of foods that determines its value and acceptability by consumers (22nd Regional FAO Conference for Europe, Oporto, 2000).

Quality components for foods are related to:

Characteristics of the food:

• hygienic quality and safety

• nutritional quality

• organoleptic quality

Use or service quality:

• convenience (easy to use)

• conservation

Psychosocial or subjective quality:

• satisfaction, pleasure

These characteristics define the options to satisfy implicit or explicit needs. According to Pons and Sirvardière (2002), implicit needs are essential and evident, for example for improving health or the safety of a product. Explicit needs are those conforming to the declared needs of an objective user.

Explicit need is the right of a consumer to choose the product rewarding his senses (smell, taste, sight, touch and ear).

Quality attributes for a product that fulfils needs and expectations of consumers (and other actors in the chain) belong to two main categories: attributes relating directly to the product, called "product attributes", and attributes relating to production and processing, called «process attributes". The first include those relating to taste, appearance, texture, consistency, smell, safety and some functional characteristics, such as post-harvest life and convenience. "process attributes", on the other hand, include among others, organic production, GMOs, environmental concerns and origin.

Therefore, as long as product quality is defined according to the needs of its user, it will remain strongly influenced by the principles, values, culture, ethics and religious values of individuals. All together, consumers may choose products not only by "product attributes", but also by "process attributes" involving the way in which they are produced and processed: origin, environmental impact of production practices, etc. Consumers may pay a higher price for products conforming to these requirements or attributes.

Some quality attributes may be grasped by the consumer through the senses, while others cannot be assessed directly. Organoleptics fall into the first, while the second involves process attributes and those having to do with nutrition and safety. Consumers may judge the attributes of the product they intend to buy by taste, smell, sometimes size, all used to judge texture and taste. Other quality attributes, such as microbiological and chemical contaminants or the nutritional value, are in general not grasped through the consumer’s experience or perception of the product and can only be conveyed by external indications, such as certifications or quality labels. Likewise are other process attributes, such as environmental impact, which can only be identified with attached labels or marks.

To conclude, in the agrifood sector the general concept of quality is complex and global, as a result of the diversity in horticultural produce and the inter-relations between links in the chain. The concept includes all attributes, characteristics and values that the consumer or buyer would expect of the product according to its use. A good quality product would certainly fulfil the expectations of the consumer or of the end user.

Source: Changing Structure of Global Food Consumption and Trade (USDA, 2001).

WHY ARE NORMALIZATION AND QUALITY CERTIFICATION NECESSARY?

Given the complexities and subtleties mentioned, there is a need for agreement between the different actors to specify objectively the quality criteria for a product or service, standards and normative documents fulfilling this need. These are public and voluntary documents (as opposed to mandatory regulations) produced by a recognized institution and results from the consensus of the different actors involved to facilitate trade as a consequence of common understanding.

Standards or agreements (codes of practices, etc.) are specifications for the quality attributes of products, for their production systems, adaptation processes, post-harvest technologies, etc., that take into account the different components of quality.

Codex Alimentarius is the international body for food standardization, recognized in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phitosanitary Measures (SPS) of the World Trade Organization to protect human, animal and plants through international standards, guidelines, codes of practice and other documents. Codex also covers issues belonging to the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), in particular labeling^[3].

The continuing concern for guaranteed quality has resulted in quality assurance and safety programs, addressed to assure and certify the attributes of a product, through normative documentation covering its production and processing. These programs include inspection procedures ensuring implementation, while the overall process may result in a label or certification proving the conformance of the attributes to the relevant documents.

Quality assurance programmes can be either compulsory, legislating on the safety requisites of products; or voluntary, through third party certification on quality management (ISO Standards 9000), environmental certification (Green Labels, ISO Standards 14000), ethical concerns (Basic Code/Social Auditing 8000), certifications of origin, certification of organic production and private certifications involving various quality, safety, ethical and environmental concerns.

Complying with these certifications, required by importing markets, exporting countries are making significant efforts to capture market openings, or often, just to remain in business. This results in developing and enforcing national codes of practice and in efforts to secure the recognition of these codes by the importing markets.

Likewise, the whole scheme of quality certification, employed by the consumers and other actors, requires a system accrediting its conformance to the applicable documents (codes of practice, protocols, etc.). Efforts are also underway to implement the accreditation of quality certification systems.

The potential for developing countrie’s economies, resulting from production and trade in fruits and vegetables must be again stressed. Quality and safety assurance systems must take into account both financial objectives, for entrepreneurs or others associated to the business, and non-financial objectives allowing for the satisfaction of customers, producers, employees, social groups, ecologists, etc.

Often emphasis is placed, during the implementation phase of quality and safety assurance activities, in securing a certification of sorts by the end of the program. In an environment as dynamic as horticulture, just fulfilling quality standards as such may not ensure success. Therefore, the holistic approach to horticulture requires the satisfaction of the consumer, integrating operative and functional strategies, complying with legal frames, with the whole supported by innovation, learning, new knowledge, organizational agility and more competitiveness and skills on the part of the actors.

Activity 2. Quality determination procedures

GUIDELINES FOR TRAINERS

The trainer distributes to each team Material 3.3, summarizing the global concept of quality and the relations between quality standardization processes and certification-accreditation processes, already explained in Presentation 3.1. Once participants have studied the document, the trainer clarifies doubts and conducts the teams to a correct understanding of the issues.

Under Suggested Questions, some questions and answers from the trainer to the participants may be found. Material 3.4 is distributed to explain the structure and components of a product standard.

Once the contents of the worksheet are fully understood, the participants assemble by countries, to provide the following information:

• Identify the institutions responsible in each country for standardization activities and for quality and safety certification and accreditation systems for fresh fruits and vegetables.

• List the opportunities and difficulties for standardization.

• Show successful experiences, where standards have benefited the actors in the chain and identifying key issues for this success.

In the plenary session to follow, each team presents its answers and the trainer draws the appropriate conclusions.

SUGGESTED QUESTIONS

1. How can the quality attributes of a product be classified?

A/ Product attributes and process attributes. The former relate to the product itself (smell, taste, consistency, convenience, safety, etc.); the latter to processing (e.g. organic product, reduced environmental impact, GMOs).

2. What is the difference between an external indicator and an internal indicator for the quality attributes of a product?

A/ Internal indicators are those used directly by the consumer to judge the quality attributes of a product (e.g. taste, smell, texture, convenience). External attributes cannot be directly judged by the consumer: e.g. the safety of a horticultural produce.

3. What are the basic characteristics of a standard?

A/

• A public document, produced with the cooperation of as many actors as possible.

• Voluntary, as opposed to mandatory regulations. Issued by a recognized institution.

• Standards evolve, and should be revised from time to time, to include technical progress, market changes and regulatory advances.

• A common frame, agreed upon by all interested parties.

• Benefits the community as a whole.

4. What are the benefits from standardization?

A/

• Promotes cooperation among actors in the chain.

• Allows for differentiation in quality of processes and services.

• Provides a common language to all players in the chain.

• Supports the decision-making process of each actor in the chain.

5. What is the role of Codex Alimentarius in the international and national fruit and vegetables quality assurance and safety systems?

A/

• Multilaterally, Codex is responsible for food standardization processes as specified in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phitosanitary Measures (SPS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

• At the national level, the National Committees of the Codex Alimentarius are responsible for the agreement between national and international standards.

6. What are the main differences between private and public certification processes?

A/ Private certification may conform to criteria and conditions not approved by an official institution. Public certification, even by a private agent, must conform to criteria and conditions approved by an official institution.

7. What standards become a mandatory regulation for trade of fresh fruits and vegetables?

A/ Standards relating to the safety of produce. In many countries, regulations aligned with Codex include the HACCP approach and informative labelling as regulatory aspects to be met by the produce to be traded.

8. Identify the essential components of certification.

A/

• Assures quality by conforming to a standard, document or buyer’s specifications.

• Is usually issued by a third party, clearly indicating the standardizing and the certifying institutions involved. The standardizing institution is not the certifying institution.

9. Why are countries developing national codes of practice?

A/ The need to comply with the requirements of some importing countries, including not only specifications for the product, but environmental, ethical and safety concerns throughout production and post-harvest handling.

10. Point out some advantages of certification.

A/

• Allows for differentiation between product and/or service.

• Enhances the credibility of final consumers, distributors and clients.

• Facilitates or makes possible market access.

• Market permanence.

11. What is the main relation between standardization, quality certification and quality accreditation processes for fruits and vegetables?

A/ Quality and safety assurance programmes are supported by standards, codes of practice and other documents resulting in certification, by public and private agents, of the different quality attributes of a product. Accreditation processes, on the other hand, assure that the certification schemes employed are transparent, efficient and trustworthy.

MATERIAL 3.3

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: A PRACTICAL APPROACH
MATERIAL 3.4. COMPONENTS OF A QUALITY STANDARD FOR FRESH HORTICULTURAL PRODUCE

Part II. Applying the principles of post-harvest management to maintain the quality and safety of fresh fruits and vegetables

Activity 1. Importance of appropriate logistics and post-harvest handling for fresh fruits and vegetables

The trainer shows the importance of adequate post-harvest handling of fresh fruits and vegetables, pointing out the physiological processes of quality loss and their causes. The trainer makes recommendations and proposes post-harvest technologies that maintain quality (Presentation 3.2).

The theoretical foundations lead to a brainstorm to:

Identify the opportunities made available by post-harvest technologies for development and updating the horticultural sector.

Reference Material 3.5 assists the trainer in focusing the conclusions.

Participants, in teams, define the strengths and weaknesses to channel detected market opportunities using the worksheet (Material 3.6). Results are discussed in a plenary session and the teams answer:

From your role as active actors in the horticultural chain, what would be your contributions to sort out some of the detected difficulties?

The trainer concludes, commenting on the importance of the ongoing commitment of all players and the supporting institutions in making post-harvest technology a tool to update and create opportunities in the horticultural sector and to ensure quality and safety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

MATERIAL 3.5 REFERENCE READING FOR TRAINERS

IMPORTANCE OF APPROPRIATE HANDLING AND LOGISTICS IN POST-HARVEST OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

The positive developments in horticulture in several Latin American countries in the last decades in Chile, and more recently in Mexico and Brazil, result from comparative advantages, a suitable institutional frame and favourable internal and external conditions. On the other hand, the incorporation of technological innovations opened new prospects for production and exports (Trejo, 1997). The contribution of post-harvest technologies (e.g. advances in maritime transport) has also been significant in developed countries (USA), allowing produce to reach foreign ports in less time, with the same quality and at reduced costs.

Trejo points out that Chilean horticulture, as long as it did not incorporate technological advances in production, in harvest and in post-harvest, remained far from the foreign markets trading circuits and with quality problems preventing its access to distribution channels.

- Technological innovation in the production of quality fruits and vegetables

The role of technology is vital in production, harvest and post-harvest processes. Technology applied to production aims at obtaining produce with a certain quality, with all peripheral actions pooled to preserve, maintain and upgrade/maximize the quality attributes of the produce obtained.

Production technologies rendering possible different varieties, more diversified produce, improved yields, reduced quality losses from pathogens, using fewer chemicals and improved nutritional value are essential for a more dynamic offer of fresh produce.

Genetic engineering exemplifies how technology contributes to improving quality of carrots and tomatoes with higher contents of carotenoids and vitamin A; of melons with higher contents of sugar; and pineapples with higher levels of ascorbic acid, carotenoids and sugars.

Seen from post-harvest, genetic engineering has resulted in varieties of tomatoes and onions with longer post-harvest lives.

Once quality is obtained, concerns shifts to post-harvest processes and marketing logistics to maintain the quality and safety of fresh produce.

- Optimization of the logistic process through post-harvest technology

Logistics works for the client. From a logistical standpoint, efficiency means delivery to meet the client’s specifications.

Logistics entails transporting produce produced under good quality conditions and delivering this produce with good quality, in the required time and with optimized costs. With low quality produce, no matter how efficient logistics may be, the customer gets poor quality.

Some technological advances in post-harvesting have resulted in significant gains in logistics: for example improvements in transport allowed exports of fruits with special temperatures and humidity in standardized packages, resulting in increased amounts being shipped. Time involved in logistics has also been reduced, resulting in higher efficiency in selection, classification and optimization of loading and unloading.

Reduced times and more efficient operations result in quality produce reaching the consumer.

- Post-harvest technology is essential to maintain quality and safety of horticultural produce

The perishable condition of fresh fruits and vegetables calls for specific handling of produce once harvested and for additional precautions resulting from the higher susceptibility to both qualitative and quantitative losses. The former, harder to assess than quantitative losses, result in losses of nutritional and caloric values and, in general, in acceptability by the consumers. Post-harvest losses, depending on the produce and the way it is handled, may vary widely. Some estimates conclude that one-third of the world production of horticultural produce is not consumed.^[4]

Therefore, innovations are fundamental for maintenance of quality and safety during post-harvest, with objective harvest indices, optimization of harvesting techniques and tools, optimization of more functional selections, classification and packaging systems, fast cooling systems, standardization of packaging, improving the cold storage systems and transport of produce protected with canvas and thermal tents.

For example, post-harvest treatments to reduce water losses, such as curing, waxing or plastic films; use of 1-MCP to reduce ethylene spoilage; use of hot water and steam for fungi and plant diseases are opportunities provided by post-harvest technologies to maintain quality and safety throughout the chain.

- Post-harvest technology as a tool to access up-grade markets

Post-harvest technology is a tool allowing access of horticulture produce to diversified import markets. Phitosanitary problems, such as the fruit flea, preclude many export products from developing countries to access developed markets. Appropriate quarentenary post-harvest procedures such as refrigeration, steam treatments, hot water treatments and even irradiation, however, open new opportunities.

In the 1950s, advances in transport, permitting larger volumes of produce to be placed in far away markets, expanded trade. More recently, new opportunities were opened by modified atmospheres (combining often, not only control systems for CO2, Oxygen and Nitrogen, but systems to monitor levels of relative humidity and ethylene), essential in the maturation and senescence of fresh fruits and vegetables, extended post-harvest life by reducing the influence of factors associated in producing decay.

The increasing adoption of safety standards and regulations by importing markets is coupled with important advances in reducing microbiological contamination, for example: use of ozone as post-harvest treatment for vegetables, increasing efficiency in water disinfectants in post-harvest processing, research in irradiation to reduce risks of microbiological contamination, etc. These technologies open new trade opportunities.

- Post-harvest technology as a tool for product differentiation

With increasing competitive and concentrated markets, more important becomes the introduction of systems and technologies to manufacture produce differentiated by their presentation for positioning in these markets.

Each year, the USA market has more than 20 000 new products. An average store handles more than 5 000 products, with more than 500 in fruits and vegetables alone. Producing differentiated products is made clear by customers allowing only one-eighth of a second of their time for each product (Robbins, 2002). Innovations from vacuum packaging, modified atmospheres, controlled atmospheres, pasteurization, post pasteurization and sterilization contribute to differentiate the product, maintain quality and safety and offer longer post-harvest lives, all essential requisites to access high-value markets.

- Conclusions

The production of high quality fruits and vegetables and the maintenance and enhancement of this quality in post-harvest and distribution operations is associated with careful incorporation of technologies applied throughout the production, harvesting and post-harvesting stages. These technologies are crucial to ensure quality and safety. For small-scale producers, or when ready supplies of water and electricity are not available, simple alternative solutions should be considered. The principle is not to use sophisticated technologies, but to handle efficiently the produce throughout the chain. Only in this way will quality and safety be maintained and post-harvest losses be reduced.

These concerted efforts to use post-harvest technologies result in internationally competitive horticultural produce, traded in markets requiring continuous innovations and comparative advantages.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: A PRACTICAL APPROACH
TRAINING MATERIAL 3.6. NATIONAL IMPORTANCE OF POST HARVEST OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Activity 2. Guidelines for action plans to maintain the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables

GUIDELINES FOR TRAINERS

The trainer stresses the importance of post-harvest handling and the objectives that appropriate programs and actions will accomplish.

Material 3.7 allows the trainer to make general remarks on implementing an action plan to maintain quality and improve the post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables. Presentation 3.3 works through a case study with the assistance of appropriate material (Material 3.8).

Doubts and concepts are clarified in a plenary session, followed by conclusions by the trainer stressing the advantages of using methodologies based on hazard analysis to address quality maintenance of fresh fruits and vegetables and the need to use a holistic and multidisciplinary approach in these matters.

MATERIAL 3.7 REFERENCE READING.

GUIDELINES FOR AN ACTION PLAN FOR QUALITY MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENT AND FOR IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF POST-HARVEST HANDLING SYSTEMS FOR FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Quality assurance of horticultural produce allows customers access to products satisfying their expectations. Quality assurance and safety of horticultural produce starts at the very moment when varieties fulfilling the consumers expectations and those of other actors in the chain are selected according to taste, nutritional value, texture, post-harvest life, perishability rate, etc.

Quality and safety assurance programmes should be directed towards the market and not towards the product, and should answer questions such as:

What does the consumer want? How much is the consumer willing to pay for the product? Can the volumes required by the customer be delivered on time, with the required quality and at an adequate price?

Quality assurance and safety also involves, among other factors, a systematic planning incorporating people, product, production systems and procedures, the market and the post-harvest infrastructure available.

It is important to state that no post-harvest technologies can improve the quality of a harvested produce not fulfilling the requirements of a particular market. Post-harvest life, however, can be maintained and extended by optimized handling, with reduced damages, etc.

The adequate post-harvest handling of fresh fruits and vegetables must account for the cultural, economic, technological, environmental and administrative context of the target market. On the other hand, the objectives of efficient post-harvest processes and of quality improvement and safety programmes must conform to the needs of the actors along the product handling sequence. Any action plan must incorporate and direct this multiplicity of objectives in such a way that the requisites of all involved are considered.

Objectives of post-harvest technologies for products include:

• maintaining the quality and safety to fulfil the needs of the intended market;

• creating and capturing market opportunities;

• adding value and increasing income and profit;

• satisfying the customer;

• reducing costs and making processing more efficient.

These objectives can be addressed at a:

• country and governmental level;

• regional level;

• local level;

• company level (farm, trader, exporter, services, etc.).

As a result of these objectives, country and local projects and programs may result, and/or specific company directed action plans and projects for a product or a group of products.

Maintaining and enhancing quality of fresh fruits and vegetables entails:

• knowing the order of magnitude of problems likely to occur (losses in quality and quantity), their causes and opportunities to differentiate a product to comply with the requirements of a particular market;

• finding solutions to problems and available technologies to secure already identified market opportunities;

• assessing the impact of simple changes in product handling;

• training and involving the people responsible for these changes;

• identifying problems requiring more detailed research.

GUIDELINES FOR ACTION PLANS TO MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Guidelines are given to maintain the quality and optimize post-harvest handling systems. These guidelines apply hazard analysis associated to product quality.

- Preparing an Action Plan

Step 1. Assemble a team to develop the plan and assist in its implementation

A multidisciplinary team is called for to attend to the complexities in products, processes and actors involved along the chain and to identify quality related problems and opportunities, as well as feasible and integrated solutions adapted to local conditions.

Some solutions to quality losses will require farmers and entrepreneurs, others transport agents and package manufacturers, still others the resources of research institutions with innovative solutions and suitable technologies. Therefore, the support of different players is required for the plan to succeed, even if leadership should fall in a small group of people.

The team will clearly define the objectives of the Action Plan:

a. What is intended? For example, one or several of the following objectives:

• improving process efficiency, optimizing steps;

• extending post-harvest life of the product;

• differentiating the product to attend the needs of a specific market;

• reducing quality and physical losses and maintaining the quality and safety of the product.

b. For what product or products? Fresh fruits and vegetables are perishable, some more than others, and show different physiological behavior during maturation and senescence rendering them more susceptible to adverse handling. Knowing this behavior allows choosing the technological alternatives to achieve the objectives of adequate post-harvest handling.

c. Where?, at a company, in a region, nationally, etc.?

d. In what stages of the process are the improvements implemented, during harvest, while making the product suitable for packaging, etc.?

It is essential to define the target market and the expectations resulting from quality (product standards, production standards and handling standards) to be met, since all quality maintenance and enhancement programs point to the customer satisfaction.

It is also necessary to have clear references on what hazards must be considered. That is, those quality hazards preventing conformance to a specific standard. This implies reference to legislation, consumer requirements, specific industry and market standards, a registry of claims and recalls pointing out the more relevant and frequent hazards.

For fresh fruits and vegetables, losses are in the first place related to biological, chemical, mechanical and physiological reasons. Secondary causes result, mainly, from inappropriate handling in post-harvest.

The team will also be involved in identifying the post-harvest technologies used, land tenure structure, farmers involved, etc., as a reference when approaching answers to problems and when dealing with strategies to secure identified opportunities.

Step 2. Flow diagram and in situ confirmation

Steps leading from harvest to final consumer must be adequately identified in order to know what improvements can be introduced. Additionally - whenever possible - players, times involved and activities developed to access the target market should also be identified. The flow diagram must furnish enough technical information to design the plan, following logical sequences and ensuring that all steps are included.

Step 3. Identifying hazards resulting in quality losses and establishing control measures

The following step is identifying hazards responsible (associated damages) for quality losses and nonconformance to standards or quality specifications for the target market, at each stage of the process.

The team developing the plan describes each step in the process, pointing out, according to their experience, the various strengths and weaknesses associated to quality maintenance and efficiency Material 3.8, Table 1.

Each problem and hazard resulting directly in quality losses (i.e. mechanical damage) or indirectly (i.e. long delays during processing) is studied as shown in Material 3.8, Table 2.

While identifying hazards associated to process steps, the team should consider:

• taking into account the views of the players in the chain;

• review available information on, for example, records of exporting companies on qualities produced and traded, losses and percentage of recalls, to assist in identifying hazards and on appropriate control measures.

Once the problems (associated hazards) are identified, appropriate prevention/control measures need to be established.

Some measures will result from training workers, transport personnel, traders, etc., while others imply adopting available and proven technologies and techniques (see Presentation 3.1). Sometimes the resources of research institutions with suitable technologies and/or information will be required.

At critical stages, where it is necessary to enforce hazard prevention and control measures, consideration should be given to their implementation in the short, medium and long term, allowing for available technical and financial resources and technological responses. Recommendations to optimize technologies should be backed by analysis of costs and benefits, pointing out clearly the technologies to be adopted and to the resulting benefits.

Step 4. Prioritizing control points

Once agreement has been reached to define the problems and their likely solutions, priority must be given to those steps in the process where control measures to prevent, reduce or eliminate a hazard should be introduced.

In general, problems associated with inadequate post-harvest handling are accumulative and seldom one single control measure on a specific point of the process will help to control hazards (e.g. mechanical hazards). Nevertheless, it is important to identify steps where control methods will significantly influence the prevention, reduction or elimination of associated hazards.

The order of magnitude of the identified hazard is important when control points are being prioritized; for instance, estimates of quality losses, physical losses associated with mechanical spoilage and other physical and physiological damages. (see Case Study, Material 3.8).

Step 5. Identifying acceptance levels

For fresh fruits and vegetables acceptance levels apply for quality criteria and size, and according to the quality standard adopted by the target market, different levels of tolerance may be acceptable.

For defects in fruits (mechanical damages), tolerance levels depend on the established quality classes. For other hazards, e.g. pests or diseases, abnormal smells or tastes endangering the safety or the aptitude for use as a fresh produce (section on the standard dealing with minimum requirements, Material 3.4), tolerance zero applies and adequate measures should be enforced to prevent such hazards.

Levels of tolerance or of acceptability for nonconformance with some quality requirements are therefore associated to the expectations of the intended target market. If this is an export market, efforts should be channeled to produce export quality fruits and vegetables that enable maintaining this quality, with adequate handling, through harvesting and post-harvesting.

For the defined control points, levels of acceptance must be established to monitor the efficiency of the operation: for example an optimum range for refrigeration temperatures (to avoid damages resulting from excessive cold or freezing or from excessive heat on the post-harvest life) should temperatures run out of control.

Implementation follows, once these measures are defined in the short, medium and long term for the different stages:

• training plan for workers;

• plans for implementing selection and sorting in the fields;

• plan to optimize drying.

Available human and financial resources are evaluated (both entrepreneurial and institutional) and a responsible individual and time frame are agreed.

- Implementing the Action Plan

The following points should be considered in executing the Action Plan:

• Establish a system to follow up the actions envisaged in the Action Plan.

• Agree on the measures to be taken should the Action Plan not give the expected results (corrective measures) because of low efficiency of the control methods implemented.

• Agree on a verification process.

• Keep all documents and records.

• Agree on strategies to secure the commitment and involvement of all actors in applying the Plan.

• Adjust the Plan when necessary.

Step 6. Establish a follow-up system

To assess the effectiveness of control measures, a simple follow-up system, easy to use by the players, should be put in place. A responsible individual is needed for collecting data, overseeing collection frequency and take action in case the objectives of the Plan are not met.

Examples of follow up for product quality are: records describing qualities delivered, percentage of rejects, reasons for rejection, reviewing process temperatures, records of selection and grading equipment, records of training, drying times and temperatures.

Step 7. Establish a Corrective Plan

Corrective actions are required whenever the goals in the Plan are not met. To assure success, measures such as improved training for workers and transport personnel, reviewing temperature control systems, storage conditions, logistics of handling the product and waiting times are required throughout the implementation of the Plan.

Step 8. Documents and records

For proper evaluation of the Plan it is required that all records be kept. This is also a precondition for certification, should this be part of the plan.

Step 9. Evaluation and refocusing of the Plan

In the highly changing and dynamic horticultural sector the two-fold purpose of satisfying the customer and making profit should be met. Therefore, market opportunities and product differentiation through post-harvest technologies entail a continuous need to reroute quality assurance and safety plans and to redefine strategies along with the changing requirements of the markets.

The goal of quality assurance and safety is to satisfy the needs of the customers while making profits efficiently through adaptability, change and innovation.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Bredahl, M; et al 2001. Consumer demand sparks the growth of quality assurance schemes in the European food sector. Chapter 10. Changing Structure of Global Food Consumption and Trade, Economic Research Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture and Trade Report. WRS-01-1.

Campden & Chorleywood. Food. 2000. Assured crop production: HACCP in Agriculture and Horticulture. Supplement 2. Apply Case Study. Gloucestershire. England.

Díaz, A. and López, M. 2002. Diseño y Manejo de Empaques y Embalajes para Frutas y Hortalizas Frescas. SENA, Colombia.

FAO. 1983. Food loss prevention in perishable crops. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Rome, Italy. 1983.

FAO. 1987. Manual para el Mejoramiento del Manejo Poscosecha de Frutas y Hortalizas (PARTE I). Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO), Santiago, Chile. 1987.
http://www.fao.org/inpho/isma?i=INPhO&p=index.jsp&lang=en

FAO. 1989. Manual para el Mejoramiento del Manejo Poscosecha de Frutas y Hortalizas (PARTE II). Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO), Santiago, Chile. 1989.
http://www.fao.org/inpho/isma?i=INPhO&p=index.jsp&lang=en

FAO. 1989. Prevention of post-harvest food losses: fruits, vegetables and root crops. A training manual. Volume II. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Rome, Italy (1989).

FAO. 1995. Código Internacional Recomendado de Prácticas para el Envasado y Transporte de Frutas y Hortalizas Frescas. Codex Alimentarius. (CAC/RCP 44-1995).

FAO. 2001. Food Quality and International Trade. http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/Agsi/gtz_html.htm

Gallo, F. 1997. Manual de Fisiología, Patología Poscosecha y Control de la Calidad de Frutas y Hortalizas. Convenio SENA-NRI. Colombia.

Heyes, J. and Bycroft, B. (2002). Handling and processing of organic fruits and vegetables in developing countries. New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research. Australia. 2002.

Johnson, G.I. and Le Van To, N, et al. 1999. Quality Assurance in Agricultural Produce. Proceedings of the 19th ASEAN/1st APEC Seminar on Post-harvest Technology. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Kadel, A. and Rolle, R. (Sin publicar). The role of post-harvest management in assuring the quality and safety of horticultural crops. Documento Borrador. Organización de Las Naciones Unidas para La Agricultura y La Alimentación, FAO.

Meneses, M.A. 2002. Manual de Capacitación en Manejo Poscosecha de Frutas y Hortalizas en Cuartos Fríos. SENA, Colombia.

Nasmesny, A. 1993. Post-Recolección de Hortalizas. Volumen I. 1993. Madrid, España, 1993.

Nasmesny, A. 1997-1999. Post-Recolección de Hortalizas. Volumen II y III. Madrid, España. 1997-1999.

NRI. 1997. Manual para el Aseguramiento de la Calidad de las Exportaciones Hortofrutícolas. Natural Resources Institute. Inglaterra. SENA, Colombia.

Pons, J. C and Sirvardière, P. 2002. Manual de Capacitación: Certificación de Calidad de los Alimentos Orientada a Sellos de Atributos de Valor en los Países de Latinoamérica. ECOCERT-FAO. Santiago de Chile, Chile.

Ramírez, H. and Rivera, M.A. 2002. Diseño y Manejo de Empacadoras para Frutas y Hortalizas Frescas. Paquete de Capacitación. SENA, Colombia.

Thompson, K. 1997. Tecnología Poscosecha de Frutas y Hortalizas. Convenio SENA-NRI. Colombia.

Trejo, P. 1997. Patrones Tecnológicos en la Hortifruticultura Chilena. UNCTDA, División de Desarrollo Productivo y Empresarial, Santiago de Chile, Chile.

MATERIAL 3.8 CASE STUDY.

ACTION PLAN TO ASSURE THE QUALITY AND IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF POST-HARVEST HANDLING SYSTEMS FOR PHYSALIS (CAPE GOOSEBERRY, PHYSALIS PERUVIANA)^[5]

CAPE GOOSEBERRY
(Physalis peruviana)

- Preparing the Action Plan

Step 1. Team

• Team of post-harvest technologists.

• Technologist specialized in handling horticultural produce.

Support from producers, exporters, research and development institutes, academia, etc.

Staff members from participating institutes meet to analyse results.

Defining the scope

a. Objective: Assure the quality of Physalis, throughout harvesting and post-harvesting, by improving the efficiency of the post-harvest handling systems, to meet the growing demand in international markets.

Hazards associated with quality losses were evaluated against Codex Alimentarius Standard 226-2001, establishing:

Minimum trade requirements

• Fruits must be whole (Shape).

• Fruits must have the characteristic spherical shape (Shape).

• Color of the fruits must be uniform, according to the maturity specified in the color tables (Uniformity).

• Fruits must be fresh in appearance and with a firm consistency, skin must be smooth and shiny (Appearance/Consistency).

• Fruits must be healthy, free from insects and/or diseases diminishing the internal quality (Pathological damage/insects).

• Fruits must be free from any abnormal external moisture resulting from mishandling in post-harvest (harvest, collection, sorting, grading, adaptation, packaging, storage and transport) (Appearance).

• Must be free from foreign matters (soil, dust, agrochemicals and others), visible in the product or package (Physical/chemical contamination).

• Length of the peduncle must be less than 25 mm (Avoid mechanical damages).

Classification: is traded with or without calyx (outside leaves protecting the fruit). Regardless of size and color, is classified in three classes:

• Extra Class: produce must conform to all general requirements and be free of defects affecting quality. The calyx may have defects in coloration resulting from moisture and/or fungi (absent). The whole of these defects must be below 5 percent of the total area of the fruit.

• Class I: produce must conform to all general requirements and must be free of defects affecting quality, to be traded. The calyx may have defects in coloration resulting from moisture and/or fungi (absent). The whole of these defects must be below 10 percent of the total area of the fruit.

• Class II: any produce not qualifying for the other two categories, but complying with the general requirements for trading. Fruits with healed cracks over 5 percent of total area are not permissible. The calyx may have defects in coloration resulting from moisture and/or fungi (absent). The whole of these defects must be below 20 percent of the total area of the fruit.

b. Produce characteristics:

Physiology: from a physiological standpoint, Physalis shows an intermediate behavior, with increased respiration during ripening of climacteric fruits. Nevertheless, before its actual physiological nature is defined, ethylene production should be studied.

Production periods: Physalis is grown by small farmers, in surfaces not exceeding 2 ha, using quite conventional technologies. Even if harvest takes place all year long, peaks in harvesting occur in October-November.

Handling the produce: has a relatively low perishability, allowing for greater flexibility in harvesting. For export, Physalis comes with calyx, index of maturity at harvest time ranges between degree 3 and 5, adaptation processes are basically by hand (sorting and grading), packaging in dried cardboard boxes, transport to ports and loading. Most exports are by plane, although with growing demand, sea shipping is increasing.

c. Determining hazards associated to quality impairement

Source: Estudio- Evaluación de pérdidas poscosecha de Physalis. SENA- CIAL- CENICAFE (2002).

Step 2. Preparing a Process diagram:

The process diagram summarizes the flows in post-harvest handling of produce to meet the export markets requirements.

Step 3. Identifying hazards resulting in quality losses of produce during harvest and post-harvest and defining control measures

The process diagram in Table 1 describes the process and operations, pointing to strengths and weaknesses that might result in hazards and quality losses in the end product.

The process diagram allows for the ready identification of significant process hazards, resulting in quality impairment and losses.

Answers to these hazards may be grouped into training (for workers, producers and other agents in the chain), technology (adoption, transfer and adaptation) and applied research (solutions not yet available). Table 2 shows results obtained.

Some answers may not be available (such as results from applied research) and a distinction should be made between preventive and control measures applicable in the short and medium term, and measures resulting from efforts made by institutions outside the enterprise concerned, enforceable only in the long term.

Step 4. Prioritizing control points

Both Tables 1 and 2 are rich in qualitative information. However, to prioritize those points along the process where control measures are necessary, quantitative information, assessing the actual magnitude of the hazard resulting in quality losses, is required.

Data on quality categories produced: Estimates show that at roadside collection, 60 percent of the fruit produced belongs to class extra and the remaining two 30.3 percent to classes I and II. However, after reclassification, 17 percent is downgraded from extra to I and II as a result of mechanical damage (bruises) and the amount of very small fruits.

Likewise, 5.8 percent of the fruit harvested remains out of the chain, discarded at the farm and resulting from:

45.6% have healed cracks
9.1% are split, bruised, etc. (mishandled)
16.6% maturity index (green fruits)
19.6% biological damages (basically fungi: Cercospora sp.)

Why does fruit not meet the requirements for class extra?

Physiological damage: 10 percent fruit damages (split fruits) and 26 percent calyx damages.

Inadequate handling: 35 percent on fruits and 18 percent calyx. Inadequate maturity index: 20 percent green and over-ripe fruits.

Biological damages: particularly significant in the calyx up to 28 percent.

Some 8 percent of losses from inadequate handling result from a dirty calyx.

This reference data allow deciding the short-, medium- and long-term solutions to enforce and the proper follow-up actions to take.

The action plan could, for example, prioritize - in the first place - training to reduce losses associated with inadequate handling, while contemplating adding more costly and complex answers.

Table 2 shows that measures conducive to sorting out the following points are critical and should be prioritized to enhance the efficiency of the handling chain to meet the quality requirements of the target market:

• reduce mechanical damage optimizing the process diagram;

• reduce rejects not meeting the maturity requirements;

• reduce biological hazards (implementing post-harvest measures, Integrated Crop Management, ICM and Integrated Pest Management, IPM);

• reduce cracked fruits.

Step 5. Acceptance levels

According to Codex Alimentarius Standard 226-2001 regarding tolerances for size and classes.

Implementing the Action Plan: Some measures of the action plan shown on Table 2 concern training to optimize produce handling. Presentation 3.3 exemplifies a post-harvest training program for workers.

• Likewise, in order to implement hazard reducing actions, public and private support will be required to:

• assess the climacteric nature of the fruit;

• assess the relation, under different temperatures, between maturity and post-harvest life;

• assess post-harvest factors bearing on split fruits;

• standardize packaging and harvest containers;

• assess potential zones for different crops (seasonality);

• research into integrated handling systems to reduce phytosanitary problems.

Step 6. Follow-up and verification

Records should become available in the field and in packaging with enough data to verify the efficiency of the control measures in place. Presentation 3.6 illustrates this.

Step 7. Corrective actions

Strengthened relations are to be expected, in the short term, among the players along the chain resulting in continuous feedback between producers, exporters and support institutions. This will allow for timely corrective actions when the quality improvement targets are not being met for produce selected for export markets. Corrective actions may be: revise data gathering, strengthen training, increase technology transfers, etc.

Step 8. Evaluation and refocusing of the plan

The entrepreneurs will continually evaluate that the objectives of the action plan are met (monitoring records and customer complaints and using other validation procedures) and introduce any required adjustment responding to the market’s signals and opportunities. For example, quarentenary treatments are currently studied to place products into potential markets now closed. This will surely result in adjusting post-harvest processes and redirecting marketing strategies.

FLOW DIAGRAM: PHYSALIS/GOOSEBERRY