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Reducing post-harvest losses and improving quality in sweet corn (Zea mays L.): challenges and solutions for less food waste and improved food security

Reducing post-harvest losses and improving quality in sweet corn (Zea mays L.): challenges and solutions for less food waste and improved food security
Reducing post-harvest losses and improving quality in sweet corn (Zea mays L.): challenges and solutions for less food waste and improved food security
Demand for fresh-cut fruit and vegetables is increasing, in the face of global population growth and increasing interest in plant-based diets. At the same time, year-round supply across the world of popular vegetables means that post-harvest losses, which can be significant, need to be minimized in the face of complex global supply chains and markets. Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) is harvested before physiological maturity when the kernel has high water and sugar concentrations making it a very perishable fresh produce and effective post-harvest handling essential to reduce losses and ensure quality. Taste, aroma and colour are the main customer-appreciatedharacteristics, hence the most important to preserve. Among the sweet corn post-harvest disorders, loss of sweetness, dehydration, fungal growth, and post-cooking browning are the biggest issues impacting sweet corn quality, leading to post-harvest losses. The main factor driving these losses in sweet corn is temperature. Sweet corn is not a chilling sensitive product and has high sugar content. For this reason, temperatures as close as 0 °C and the appropriate use of packaging films to create an altered gas composition with high CO2 and low O2 concentrations can significantly prevent post-harvest decay. The use of low temperatures and effective choice of appropriate packaging films can control sweet corn respiration rates and prevent microorganism growth, subsequently delaying quality loss. This comprehensive review assembles a description of the most customer-appreciated sweet corn characteristics, it describes the major sweet corn post-harvest challenges and provides a summary of four approaches to improve post-harvest quality in this popular fresh-cut vegetable.
2048-3694
Becerra Sanchez, Felipe
a50b568f-023c-45ae-997c-f582cb4f319e
Taylor, Gail
Becerra Sanchez, Felipe
a50b568f-023c-45ae-997c-f582cb4f319e
Taylor, Gail

Becerra Sanchez, Felipe and Taylor, Gail (2021) Reducing post-harvest losses and improving quality in sweet corn (Zea mays L.): challenges and solutions for less food waste and improved food security. Food and Energy Security, 10 (3), [e277]. (doi:10.1002/fes3.277).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Demand for fresh-cut fruit and vegetables is increasing, in the face of global population growth and increasing interest in plant-based diets. At the same time, year-round supply across the world of popular vegetables means that post-harvest losses, which can be significant, need to be minimized in the face of complex global supply chains and markets. Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) is harvested before physiological maturity when the kernel has high water and sugar concentrations making it a very perishable fresh produce and effective post-harvest handling essential to reduce losses and ensure quality. Taste, aroma and colour are the main customer-appreciatedharacteristics, hence the most important to preserve. Among the sweet corn post-harvest disorders, loss of sweetness, dehydration, fungal growth, and post-cooking browning are the biggest issues impacting sweet corn quality, leading to post-harvest losses. The main factor driving these losses in sweet corn is temperature. Sweet corn is not a chilling sensitive product and has high sugar content. For this reason, temperatures as close as 0 °C and the appropriate use of packaging films to create an altered gas composition with high CO2 and low O2 concentrations can significantly prevent post-harvest decay. The use of low temperatures and effective choice of appropriate packaging films can control sweet corn respiration rates and prevent microorganism growth, subsequently delaying quality loss. This comprehensive review assembles a description of the most customer-appreciated sweet corn characteristics, it describes the major sweet corn post-harvest challenges and provides a summary of four approaches to improve post-harvest quality in this popular fresh-cut vegetable.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 27 January 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 4 May 2021
Published date: August 2021

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 480023
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/480023
ISSN: 2048-3694
PURE UUID: 33956f68-c4bf-4c6d-8b39-5130c41edd9b
ORCID for Felipe Becerra Sanchez: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2178-3967

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Date deposited: 01 Aug 2023 16:34
Last modified: 05 Jun 2024 18:53

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Author: Gail Taylor

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