Author
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Lamikanra, Olusola |
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Submitted to: Popular Publication
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2005 Publication Date: 5/27/2005 Citation: Lamikanra, O. 2005. Mechanical injury of produce. CRC Press LLC. 79:115. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Mechanical damage is one of the most important factors that reduce produce quality. Loss due to bruising represents a substantial portion of total losses; and mechanical damage has long been internationally identified as the leading cause of quality loss at wholesale and retail levels for a number of fruits and vegetables. Fresh-cut processing involves the deliberate wounding of fruits and vegetable tissues to provide a product that requires less handling by the consumer. The demand for convenience and fresh-like produce has resulted in the rapid growth of this industry. Mechanical damage resulting from fresh-cut processing disrupts tissue and cell integrity, and decreases shelf-life through physiological and biochemical changes similar to those in non fresh-cut mechanically damaged fruit and vegetable tissues. This chapter is a comprehensive review of factors that influence susceptibility of produce to mechanical damage, and the biochemical effects of such injury on produce quality. Knowledge of types of injuries and their response mechanisms will help the fruit and vegetable industry to devise methods that limit the undesirable physical and physiological effects of mechanical damage in produce. |
