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LinkedInPosts Tagged: Adel Kader
Postharvest technology is something of a mystery
Working at the Postharvest Technology Center, I often think about how to spread our mission of how to reduce postharvest losses and improve the quality, safety and marketability of fresh horticultural products. Part of doing this is educating consumers about making good choices so they have a better experience eating fruits and vegetables. And, if consumers have a better experience with fruits and vegetables, we eat more of them. If we can create demand at the consumer end, it will trickle through to the people that handle your produce: processors, retailers, distributors, carriers, marketers, shippers and finally growers.
I spoke with Jim Thompson, who wrote “From the Farm to Your Table: A Consumer’s Guide to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables” along with Adel Kader, two distinguished experts in the field of postharvest technology. Thompson said they wrote the publication knowing that, “For most consumers, it’s kind of a mystery what influences the quality of their produce. This publication answers some of the questions of how to make good choices at the market and at home.”
Thompson adds, “There are many things that can steal quality from produce. And it starts at the farm.”
The type of cultivar the farmer chooses to plant and what kind of soil, temperature and light conditions, irrigation and fertilization practices at the farm affect flavor and nutritional quality. When the product was harvested, how it was handled prior to arrival at your market, and how your market stores the product all influence the quality of your produce.
You certainly know which market in town has the best produce section, and it’s important to you. In fact, according to the 2011 National Grocers Association Consumer Survey Report, “Consumers say they are keeping health a priority—and 91 percent regard a stellar produce department as a ‘very important’ factor in where they buy groceries. This is precisely the same percentage as a year ago, which represented a dramatic five-point jump from the 86% level of two years ago. While the recession may have withered wallets, it hasn’t hurt consumers’ resolve on this measure.”
Please contact us at (530) 754-4326 or postharvest2@plantsciences.ucdavis.edu if you’re interested in ordering multiple copies for a nutrition, health or cooking class or you can purchase them through our online bookstore.
El manejo de frutas y verduras en países en vías de desarrollo
Hay una diferencia abismal entre la pulcra maquinaria de cosecha que recorre los campos de cultivo de California y los machetes y canastas, o posiblemente burros cargados con productos en cestos, que continúan utilizándose en muchos países.
La pérdida de cosechas es un problema importante. Se estima que alrededor del mundo, más de una tercera parte de las frutas y verduras producidas no llegan a ser consumidas por humanos (Kader, 2005). Muchos problemas logísticos contribuyen a esta pérdida, incluyendo: sistemas de enfriamiento ineficientes o la carencia de estos, caminos escabrosos, transportación lenta, daños físicos por el manejo brusco y malas condiciones de sanidad.
En el 2010, uno de los artículos más populares entre aquellos de acceso gratis a través del sitio del Centro de Tecnología de Postcosecha fue “Small-Scale Postharvest Handling Practice: A Manual for Horticultural Cropss” (Prácticas para el manejo de postcosecha a menor escala: Un manual para la cosecha de hortalizas). Escrito por Lisa Kitnoja y Adel Kader, y actualmente traducido a 10 idiomas, el año pasado, este artículo fue descargado por más de 22,000 lectores. Aunque este recurso es muy popular entre los productores a pequeña escala en Estados Unidos, alrededor de 8,000 lectores se beneficiaron del valioso contenido traducido al indonesio, 4,000 de la traducción al vietnamita, y más de 3,000 de la traducción al árabe. Los lectores obtuvieron información sobre la curación de los cultivos de tubérculos, el diseño de palos y sacos diseñados especialmente para el delicado manejo de la cosecha de la fruta, y diseños eficientes para la distribución de plantas de empaque. (Los enlaces a las diez traducciones pueden encontrarse en el sitio en Internet http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Pubs/publications.shtml en la sección “Small-Scale Postharvest Practices”.)
Fotografía: mercado de frutas y verduras en Kumasi, cortesía de Adel Kader.
“Muchas prácticas sencillas han resultado muy exitosas para reducir las pérdidas y mantener la buena calidad de los productos hortícolas en varias parte del mundo a través de los años”, dijo Lisa Kitinoja de los Extension Systems International. “No hay necesidad de maquinaría de cosecha muy costosa ni tratamientos de postcosecha de alta tecnología para poder hacer llegar a los mercados productos de calidad. Sin embargo, un manejo eficiente durante el periodo de postcosecha es la clave para obtener el objetivo deseado.”
Aunque la mayoría de los consumidores en California valoran la calidad y variedad disponibles en nuestros supermercados, es bueno saber que se están haciendo esfuerzos para mejorar la calidad de las frutas y verduras disponibles a quienes no son tan afortunados como nosotros.
Preparado por Mary E. Reed
Adaptado al español por Norma De la Vega
Produce handling in developing economies
There is a wide schism between the sleek mechanical harvesting machines that briskly traverse California’s fertile croplands versus the field worker with a machete and head-basket, or possibly a donkey laden with woven baskets, that is still most commonly found in many nations.
Produce loss continues to be a significant problem. Worldwide, it is estimated that as much as one-third of the produce grown is never consumed by humans (Kader, 2005). Many logistical challenges contribute to this loss, including: ineffective or absent cooling systems, slow and rough transportation, physical damage from rough handling, and poor sanitation conditions.
In 2010, one of the most popular free titles available on the Postharvest Technology Center’s website was “Small-Scale Postharvest Handling Practices: A Manual for Horticultural Crops.” Written by Lisa Kitinoja and Adel Kader, and currently translated into 10 languages, this title was downloaded by over 22,000 readers last year. While this useful resource is very popular in the United States among small-scale farmers, over 8,000 readers benefitted from the useful content translated into Indonesian, 4,000 from the Vietnamese translation, and over 3,000 from the Arabic translation. Readers learned information about the curing of tuber crops, designing picking poles and catching sacks to gently harvest fruit, and efficient designs for packinghouse layout. (Link to all ten translations are found under the section “Small-Scale Postharvest Practices” at: http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Pubs/publications.shtml.)
“Many simple practices have successfully been used to reduce losses and maintain produce quality of horticultural crops in various parts of the world for many years,” asserted Lisa Kitinoja of Extension Systems International. “You don’t necessarily need costly handling machinery and high-tech postharvest treatments to be able to deliver quality produce to the marketplace. However, effective management during the postharvest period is key to reaching the desired objective.”
While most California produce shoppers are grateful for the quality and variety available in our markets, it’s nice to know that an effort is being made to improve the produce available to others not quite as fortunate as we.
Photo: Kumasi retail produce market, courtesy of Adel Kader.
