Obiettivi formativi
Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student will be able to know and understand:
1) A deep knowledge on fruits and vegetables losses in post-harvest
2) Main diseases and physiological disorders of stored fruits and vegetables
3) Main problems associated to the presence of pathogens of clinical interests along the production and storage of fruits and vegetables.
4) Methods to preserve quality of stored fruits and vegetables
5) Strategies to implement safety of fruits and vegetables in post-harvest
Applying knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1) Identify major causes of global losses affecting fruits and vegetables
2) Suggest sustainable management to ensure quality and safety of stored vegetable food.
2) Apply acquired knowledge to develop and implement procedures for storing and monitoring fruits and vegetables in post-harvest.
3) Identify and manage possible threat to human health posed by the internalisation of clinical pathogens in stored horticultural products.
Making judgements
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1) Assess stored horticultural products in term of quality and safety related to possible alterations caused by pathogens or physiological disorders.
2) Assess the suitability of specific procedures (curing, refrigeration, modified atmosphere, use of 1-MCP) to ensure quality and safety of stored fruits and vegetables.
Communication skills
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1) Use of scientific language appropriately, and the specific lexicon to describe and transfer in oral and written form the acquired concepts.
2) Efficiently communicate any technical innovation related to increasing the shelf life of stored vegetable products.
Learning skills
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1) Increase his/her knowledge on global losses affecting fruits and vegetables.
2) Increase his/her knowledge on post-harvest management of horticultural products.
3) Increase his/her ability to suggest sustainable alternatives to preserve fresh vegetable food.
4) Understand the impact of cropping systems on post-harvest quality of fruits and vegetables.
Prerequisiti
Plant Pathology. Crop Physiology (desirable). Microbiology.
Contenuti dell'insegnamento
Post-harvest losses and waste: a global issue. Pre-harvest factors affecting post-harvest quality. Estimation of post-harvest losses and socio-economic factors. Strategies to reduce post-harvest losses and assessment methodologies. Key packinghouse operations. Hints of crop physiology. Ethylene: role and management. Curing, precooling and cold storage of fruits and vegetables. Controlled and modified atmosphere. Chilling and freezing injuries. Physiological disorders of fruits and vegetables. Post-harvest diseases of fruits and vegetables. Clinical issues in post-harvest: the internalisation of clinical pathogens in vegetables and their management. Analysis and control systems in post-harvest operations
Programma esteso
Post-harvest losses and waste: a global issue. Pre-harvest factors affecting post-harvest quality. Estimation of post-harvest losses and socio-economic factors. Causes of post-harvest losses. Case study 1: banana. Strategies to reduce post-harvest losses and assessment methodologies. Operational steps to reduce post-harvest losses. CSAM and their components: pre-production, production, post-harvest, marketing, consumers’ demand and preferences. Review, evaluation and recommendation practices. Key packinghouse operations: shelter and working conditions, application of GMP and GHP; specific and detailed operations. Use of GRAS substances on fruits and vegetables. Chlorine and ethylene. Hints of crop physiology. Pre-harvest physiology affecting post-harvest quality. Transpiration, respiration, germination, sprouting. Ethylene: role and management. Curing, precooling and cold storage of fruits and vegetables. The t½ value and use of nomograms. Controlled and modified atmosphere. Case study 2: integrated cold chain for mangoes. Chilling and freezing injuries: symptoms, causes, management. The ice-nucleating bacteria and freezing injuries. Physiological disorders of fruits and vegetables: bitter pit of apples, apple scald, pear superficial scald, apple internal browning, peach and nectarine inking, internal stone fruit breakdown, cold-induced potato sweetening. Banana physiological disorders in post-harvest: Peel bruising, Peel browning, Peel cracking, Finger drop, Chilling injury, Green life shortening. Physiological post-harvest disorders of carrots. Post-harvest diseases of fruits and vegetables: bacterial soft rots and soft rot of potatoes. Fungal diseases in post-harvest: predisposing factors that increase risks of fungal diseases in post-harvest. Most common fungal diseases in post-harvest. Brown rot of stone and pome fruits. Clinical issues in post-harvest: the internalisation of clinical pathogens in vegetables and their management. Noroviruses. Bacterial hazards. Case study 3: shigatoxin-producing E. coli and production of sprouts. Case study 4: the coring of Iceberg lettuce and associated risks. Analysis and control systems in post-harvest operations
Bibliografia
G. N. Agrios, PLANT PATHOLOGY, 5TH EDITION, Elsevier, 2004
R- Barkai-Dolan, Postharvest Diseases of Fruits and Vegetables, 1st Edition, Development and Control, Elsevier Science, 2001. 442 pages.
E.M. Yahia, Postharvest Technology of Perishable Horticultural Commodities, Woodhead Publishing, 2019. 750 pages.
M.W. Siddiqui, Postharvest Disinfection of Fruits and Vegetables, Academic Press, 2018. 250 pages.
Hoagland et al, 2018. Foodborne pathogens in horticultural production systems: Ecology and
Mitigation. Scientia Horticulturae, 236: 192-206.
Additional reference material (including books and manuals) uploaded to the website.
Metodi didattici
The lessons will be held with the support of power point presentations.
Working groups and round tables with specialists may be organised on specific topics of interest for the students.
The course will be (possibly) integrated with a trip to visit the industrial plant of a major player in post-harvest management of horticultural crops
Modalità verifica apprendimento
The final exam will be oral, with questions on the main course topics.
Altre informazioni
Lesson frequency is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged.
