Post Harvest Technology of Post Harvest Technology of Vegetable CropsVegetable Crops

Dr. R.T. PatilDr. R.T. PatilFormer Director, CIPHET, LudhianaFormer Director, CIPHET, LudhianaChairman & ED, Benevole for PHT, Chairman & ED, Benevole for PHT,

BhopalBhopal

Production & Post Harvest ScenarioProduction & Post Harvest Scenario• Agriculture contributes about 14.5% of GDP,

employees 52% workforce and sustains approx over 60% of the population

• India ranks second in world in production of fruits and vegetables at vegetables at 16.2 crores tonnes

• Post harvest losses are 3-18% amounting to Rs. 45000 crores

• Low level of processing of fruits and vegetables at only 3.5% .

• Food processing is employment intensive, creates 1.8 jobs directly and 6.4 indirectly for every Rs. 10 lakh investment

Reasons for LossesReasons for Losses of Vegetables of Vegetables• Handling of raw produce through many stages of

middlemen.• Very low or almost negligible management and

processing which leads to losses even in valuable by products. (like pea pods)

• Non availability of cold chain and efficient equipment and machinery for processing in catchment areas.

• Low level of entrepreneurial urge in rural areas due to constraints of finance, assured market and proper training on technologyHigher the Level of Processing, proper Higher the Level of Processing, proper

Marketing, Better the PH Management Marketing, Better the PH Management and Lower Will Be Lossesand Lower Will Be Losses

Health Benefits of VegetablesHealth Benefits of Vegetables• Vegetables are low in calories and fats but contain good

amounts of vitamins and minerals. • All the Green-Yellow-Orange vegetables are rich sources of

calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, beta-carotene, vitamin B-complex, vitamin-C, vitamin-A, and vitamin K.

• Vegetables are packed with soluble as well as insoluble dietary fiber known as non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) such as cellulose, mucilage, hemi-cellulose, gums, pectin, etc.

• These substances absorb excess water in the colon, retain a good amount of moisture in the fecal matter, and help its smooth passage out of the body.

• Eat at least 5-7 servings of fresh vegetables every day.• Yellow and orange color vegetables are rich in Vitamin-A, α, β

carotenes, zea-xanthins and crypto-xanthins• dark-green vegetables are a good source of minerals and

phenolic, flavonoid as well as anthocyanin anti-oxidants

Post Harvest Handling OperationsPost Harvest Handling OperationsPost harvest management is pre-requisite to Value addition.

•Pre-harvest maturity indication•Curing after harvest, •Sorting•Pre-cooling before storage, •Washing & removal of surface moisture, •Modified Atmos Packaging•Dehydration & Packaging •Crushing and packing•Value addition like ketchup, pickles

Benefits of Cooling of VegetablesBenefits of Cooling of Vegetables

• Reduces respiration: lessens perishability • Reduces transpiration: lessens water loss,

less shriveling • Reduces ethylene production: slows ripening • Decreases activity of micro-organisms • Reduces browning and loss of texture, flavor

and nutrients

Effect of Cooling on Storage Effect of Cooling on Storage Food products

Storage potential

at optimum cold temperature

optimum temperature + 10°C

optimum temperature + 20°C

optimum temperature + 30°C

Fresh green vegetables

1 month at 0°C

2 weeks at 10°C

1 week at 20°C

Less than 2 days at 30°C

Potatoes 5 to 10 months at 4 to 12 °C

Less than 2 months at 22 °C°

Less than 1 month at 32 °C

Less than 2 weeks at 42 °C

Cooling Methods & Steps Cooling Methods & Steps Cold chain step Small-scale Large scale Pre-cooling systems

Portable evaporative forced air cooling systems

Slurry ice

Cold Storage Zero energy cool chambers (ZECC) Evaporatively cooled cool rooms (charcoal coolers) Underground storage (root cellars) Night air ventilation High altitude storage Radiant cooling Solar chillers

Evaporatively cooled warehouses Underground storage (caves) High altitude storage Radiant cooling

Refrigerated transport

Evaporatively cooled insulated transport boxes or trailers

Passive cooling (insulated pallet covers

Storage Life in ZECC Storage Life in ZECC Fruit/Vegetables Months Storage Life (days)

Ambient conditions

Cool Chamber

Bitter gourd May-June 2 6Carrot Feb.-March 5 12Cauliflower Feb.-March 7 12Cucumber May-June 3 8Green chilies May-June 3 6Kinnow January-March 8 60Ladies finger May-June 1 6Mango July 8 15Peas Feb.-March 5 10Plum June 4 10Spinach Feb.-March 3 8

Post Harvest EquipmentsPost Harvest Equipments

Method of Determining Maturity of Method of Determining Maturity of Vegetables Vegetables

Mobile Cool ChamberMobile Cool Chamber

• The insulated box was designed such that it could hold 8 plastic crates of size 540x360x295 mm in two layer of four each

• Capacity of storage was 100 kg of fruits with 80% filling of each plastic crates

• Costs around Rs. 18,000-20,000/-

Low cost unit saves the fruits from exposure to sunlight and preserves the quality.

Refrigerated transportRefrigerated transport• Further a refrigeration unit is mounted on top for cooling the solution of ethylene glycol and salt stored in the jacket of insulated box.

• This solution is cooled to subzero temperature by running the refrigeration unit by plugging to power source for 8-10 hours before use.

• The refrigerated transport vehicle can lower the product temperature up to 5 °C.

• The wattage of compressor is 0.65 kW.

CIPHET Tomato GraderCIPHET Tomato Grader• The tomatoes roll down the pipes due to

gravity and fall immediately wherever they find the space of their diameter.

• Grades 3: 25-40 mm, 40-55 mm, 55-70 mm and > 70 mm

• The collector is inclined at 10° so that the tomatoes slide directly in crates.

• The important feature of grader is its ability to adjust the gap between the pipes and inclination of grading table and hopper.

• It can also be used for other round fruits and vegetables.

Capacity: of 325 kg/hr Overall grading efficiency: 66%.Cost: Rs.25000.00

• Washing efficiency : 86% (Radish)

• Cleaning efficiency : 85% (Radish)

• bruise index: negligible

2010

Prototype multiplication of basket centrifuge Prototype multiplication of basket centrifuge

• Accumulation of surface water on the fresh and minimally processed vegetables is a matter of concern as it helps in growth of pathogens and microorganisms.

• A Basket centrifuge consisting of a detachable perforated cylinder, rotating at 500 RPM was fabricated to remove surface water from the minimally processed vegetables.

• It can process 10 kg vegetables per batch of 10 sec and cost is US$ 500

Small Composite Unit for Tomato Puree and Fruit Pulp

The machine has components like a cooker, grinder, mixture, processor and juicer. The machine is capable of processing around 200 kg of herbal products and fruits in an hour. Mr. Dharamvir Singh from Haryana has developed this machine to extract juice; residue is used for making candy, sweets and other items.

He has employed 35 women for his business and also sells units of the machine. He even trains buyers on how to use it. He earns about Rs. 24 lakh per year from processed products and the machine is sold for 1.50 lakh.

Dehumidifier Dryer Dehumidifier Dryer

•Micro-processor based temperature controller to regulates the drying temperature.•For blanched Amla drying, the dryer reduced vitamin-C loss up to 87% as compared to the open sun drying. •The products such as sliced fruits and vegetables is dried in 20-25 h and medicinal herbs and leaf crops are 12-20 h.•The cost of the prototype is Rs. 1,50,000 and capacity is 30 kg/batch.

Drying time : 23 h from 86 to 8% in moisture content (wb)

Capacity: 400 kg of fresh

cardamom

• Power requirement • Electricity 21

kWh

• LPG 26 kg

2005

2009

Solar Tunnel DryerSolar Tunnel Dryer

• It consists of a tunnel type semi-cylindrica drying chamber • Trolleys and trays are provided to hold one tonne and two

tonnes of raw material. • The reduction in drying time compared to (60 %) compared to

open sun drying as a result of higher inside temperature of about 22 - 25°C.

Shrink Packaging of Fruits and VegetablesShrink Packaging of Fruits and Vegetables

Storage life Ambient Cold store

Commodity

Shrink wrapped Unwrapped Shrink wrapped Unwrapped Kinnow 27 13 70 41 Tomato 19 10 39 23

Capsicum 25 4 46 21

Modified Atmosphere Packaging Technology Modified Atmosphere Packaging Technology for High Value Vegetablesfor High Value Vegetables

Extended Shelf Life 9 days for Okra, 13 days for betel leaf and 7-8 days for broccoli

Evaporatively Cooled Room for Storage of Evaporatively Cooled Room for Storage of Fruits and VegetablesFruits and Vegetables

Compared on the basis of 10% physiological loss in weight (PLW) the shelf life inside the room was 34 days for early kinnow, 23 days for late kinnow, 11 days for cauliflower and 4 days for spinach as compared to 21, 11, 5 and 2 days respectively in an ordinary room at the same time.

The cost of the chamber is Rs. 75000 and capacity is 2 tonnes.

•An evaporatively cooled (EC) room (3x3x3m. size) was developed for on-farm storage of fruits and vegetables. •The summer temperature inside the EC room was 5-8C lower than that inside the ordinary room and winter temperature was 5-8 C higher than that inside the ordinary room.

CIPHET Evaporative Cooled Storage Structure CIPHET Evaporative Cooled Storage Structure

• Storage of fruits and vegetables• Evaporatively Cooled Structure (ECS)

maintains a moderate low temperature and sufficiently high relative humidity for short term storage of fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Advantages Low level consumption of

electricity Less initial investment Negligible maintenance cost

• Features– Special design of roof, orientation – Uses wetted pad as cooling medium – 20oC below the outside temperature – An ECS of about 5 -7 tonne storage

capacity may cost about Rs. 1.5 – 1.8 lakh.

Earth Tubes for CoolingEarth Tubes for Cooling

• Earth tubes is a passive heating and cooling technique that uses the constant temperature of the earth to pre-heat incoming air in the winter and pre-cool incoming air in the summer by passing the air through tubes buried under the earth.

• This is an ancient technique used for thousands of years.

• Use of this system reduces the energy demands for cooling and heating the structure and creates better and healthier indoor air environments than conventional systems.

Contd...

Earth Tubes for CoolingEarth Tubes for Cooling • The system provides 67% of the energy required to

heat and cool the required (i.e. 800cfm) exchanged air.

• The tube Length should be max 80 ft as the majority of the heat transfer occurs in first 80-100ft of tube.

• The tube be placed at 6-8 ft below the surface of the earth with slope of the tube at a 2% grade.

• The material of tubes matters little, as long as they are not insulated because the thickness of the material absorbing the heat is actually the tube plus the ground around the tube.

• Avoid draining any roofs or ground areas into the area of the earth tubes.

Ventilated Rail Transport Ventilated Rail Transport • Ventilated rail cars have been

developed by NHB where the slotted holes were provided on front bottom, front and rear ends to accommodate vertical forced air and natural convection due to holes at the bottom.

• At least 15% of total floor area was perforated and labyrinths provided for the protection from rain where ever essential.

• The design provides 5% area at the bottom and 10% area on the top at both from and rear ends.

• The rail trasnports the material as fresh over very long distances

Refrigerated Cold Storage Refrigerated Cold Storage

Cold storage rooms are made of PolyUrethane Foam (PUF)

The facilities in a cold chain are composed of pre coolers, packing houses and cold storage rooms and trucks for transport.

•Pre coolers-to remove field heat rapidly right after harvest to acquire desired conditions. •Packing houses-prepare the vegetables by trimming and cleaning, sorting defective products.•Cold storages-to maintain vegetables at high quality as produced. •Refrigerated trucks/container vans collect to transport them.

ExamplesExamples

Evaporative Cooled Room

Surinder SinghVill Jalalabad, Moga PunjabProfession: Vegetable Farmer

Cold Room used for on-farm short term storage of fruits and vegetables

Cost of structure: Rs 75,000

McDonald’s India’s Cold Chain McDonald’s India’s Cold Chain

From Field to 2º C in 90 Minutes•Trikaya Farms in Talegaon, Maharashtra, is now able to grow iceberg lettuce all the year round. •Facilities include a pre-cooling room, a large cold room and a refrigerated van for transportation. •Vegetables are moved into the pre-cooling room within half an hour of harvesting. The pre-cooling room ensures rapid vacuum cooling to 2º C within 90 minutes. •The pack house, pre-cooling and cold room are located at the farms itself, ensuring no delay between harvesting, pre-cooling, packaging and cold storage. With this cold chain infrastructure in place.

Value Added ProductsValue Added Products

• Crushed vegetables and purees• Dried Vegetables for Soups • Soups Mixes• Chutney, Pickles, and Sauces

Ready to Constitute Mustard SaagReady to Constitute Mustard Saag

•The green leaves are washed, drained and cut. The cut leaves are taken in the known proportion. •The mixture of cut leaves and spices is cooked and then mashed to get smooth curry. The curry is then processed through various steps involving crushing, cooking, pulping, addition of edible flour, cold extrusion, drying, size reduction and packaging to attain mustard saag powder. •The dried powder on mixing with lukewarm / hot water yield the inherent taste and odor of staple ingredients.

Green chili processing into powder and Green chili processing into powder and pureepuree

•Chilies powder has higher nutrition and controlled pungency. The green chilies have more Vitamin C & A and antioxidant properties. •About 130 g of green Chilies powder and 300 ml puree could be prepared from one kilogram of fresh green Chilies. •The cost of the plant for the processing 200kg of green chilies per day is estimated at 713000/-. •The break even point comes be 49.15% and pay back period 1.91 years•1kg of green chilies costing Rs. 15/-, the value added product of Rs. 70/- could be marketed.

Chili Puree

Green Chili Powder

Technology Technology PackagesPackages

Minimal Processing of Vegetables Minimal Processing of Vegetables

Garlic Processing MachinesGarlic Processing Machines

Garlic Flaking MachineGarlic PeelerGarlic Bulb Breaker

Capacity-800 kg/hCost-US$300

Capacity-400 kg/hCost-US$300

Capacity-40-50 kg/hCost-US$1400

Cold Chain Initiatives to be Cold Chain Initiatives to be Implemented by StateImplemented by State

• The Government should establish modern cold chain facilities in the State.

• The key component of the facility are the temperature controlled warehouses of varied capacities, refrigerated transport vehicles and other auxiliary facilities.

• Controlled atmospheric conditions are necessary for storing raw materials, intermediate products.

• The key storage unit should be established at central location on over 1.5 acres of land and should be linked with large number of villages (collection center) via the refrigerated transport vehicles.

• A new concept of village refrigerator should be employed under which 5 – 10 tonnes refrigerator (village refrigerator) should be established in far off villages and would act as miniature cold storage units.

• The key components of the cold chain are as follows: Two Cold Storages of 3000 MT each and 5 Refrigerated Transport Vehicle of 4 – 5 tonnes along with 20 village Refrigerators of 5 – 10 tonnes each and 50 Cold Chain Containers of 0.5 – 1 tonnes

RecommendationsRecommendations• Need to provide proper collection, sorting, packaging

and storage of vegetables by SHGs or producer companies

• Industries for processing vegetables to the stage of extrcation, dehy & puree using standard protocols need to be established in production catchment.

• There is a need to promote eating of vegetables and vegetables as presentation material so that its consumption be increased

• Provide vegetables grown by SHGs and Producer companies through PDS like in Onam in Kerala

• Provide crushed tomato, sauce, pickles and salsa type of products produced by SHGs through PDS shops.

Thank youThank you

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