Unit 1 Topic of OBT554 Principle of Food Preservation, Open elective paper from Anna University R2017

1. WASTAGE OF PROCESSED
FOODS
OBT554
UNIT 1

15. Mechanisms of post-harvest spoilage in plants
• After harvesting, plant materials engage in an
accelerated senescence process that leads to the
spoilage of the nutritional and organoleptic qualities of
the tissue.
• Two of the major classes of unprocessed plant
foodstuffs: fruits and vegetables.
• Ethylene plays a pivotal role in the control of ripening
of fruits and brings about the decay of the fruit.
• The mechanisms governing senescence in other edible
plant organs such as tubers, roots, leaves and flowers
are different from those in fruits