This document discusses post-harvest technology for citrus fruits in India. It notes that India is a major producer of fruits and vegetables but has low levels of processing. It then discusses various aspects of citrus post-harvest handling and processing including harvesting, cleaning, waxing, drying, sorting, packaging, storage, transportation and value-added processing into products like juices, jam, jelly and marmalade. It also discusses maturity indices for determining optimal harvest times and describes some technologies developed for tasks like fruit grading. Finally, it discusses potential health benefits and uses of citrus peels and seeds.
1. Dr. R. T. Patil
Ex-Director CIPHET & Chairman
Benevole Welfare Society for Post Harvest
Technology, Bhopal (MP)
Post Harvest Technology of
CITRUS
2. Production & Post Harvest Scenario
•Agriculture contributes about 15% of GDP,
employs 57 % workforce and sustains approx
over 65 % of the population
•India produces about 255 million tons of food
grains and more than 260 million tons of fruits
and vegetables and ranks second in world
•Low level of processing of fruits and vegetables
at only 2.2% and losses range from 6 - 18 %.
•Food processing is employment intensive,
creates 1.8 jobs directly and 6.4 indirectly for
every US$ 25000 investment
3. Scenario of Food Losses & Reasons
1. Handling of raw produce (without washing, cleaning,
sorting) through many stages of middlemen.
2. Processing is mostly done in urban areas rather than
in leads to losses in valuable by-products.
3. Non availability of cold chain infrastructure for storage
of raw as well as processed products in production
catchment
4. Non uniform agricultural produce due to fragmented
land holdings hence not suitable for processing.
5. Losses to the tune of 10% in durables, 15% in semi-
perishables 15% and 20% perishables amounting to
minimum Rs. 50,000 crores per year.
4. Agro Processing in
Production Catchment
1. Can provide processed food of highest quality at
affordable cost to consumers
2. Help environment by processing food in production
catchment with least food miles
3. Ensure traceability of raw materials used for processed
product hence great for export and elite urban market.
4. Help effective backward linkage with farmers for
processing their raw produce
5. Shorten the supply chain, increase the profitability of
farmers and ultimately increase in GDP from agriculture
and reduce poverty
6. Reduce post harvest losses and increased availability of
by products for further processing.
8. • Promotes weight loss
• Increase immunity
• Improve digestion
• Protect from kidney
stone
Health Benefits of Citrus
9. Maturity Indices
• Citrus fruits do not ripen further once they have
been removed from the tree, so it is important that
they are picked at the right stage of maturity.
• Maturity is measured depending on different
characteristics such as color (of fruit and flesh),
juice content, level of soluble solid (sugar) and
solids to acid ratio.
Mandarin
• Kinnow Golden orange --- 12:1 to 14:1
Sweet Orange
• Musambi Greenish yellow-Pale yellow or whitish
30:1
• Blood Red Cadmium yellow Partial to full red 14:1
• Valencia Late Deep golden Orange 10:1
11. Method of Determining Maturity of
Mango in Tree
• Eating quality and postharvest shelf life
of ripe mango depends on its maturity
at harvest
• Change of peel color and total soluble
solids (TSS) are indicative parameters
to measure maturity of mango.
• A maturity index was defined based on
TSS and colour values.
• The model was developed to predict
maturity using colourimeter
• Colour and maturity index chart were
also developed to determine maturity
• This technique can be employed to
sort the mangoes at export port, big
mandies and in processing plant.
Capacity
About 100 mangoes per hour
12. Harvesting and Handling
• Injury leads to micro-organism attack
• Fruits should not be pulled during harvesting
• For harvesting use clippers
• Harvest during early morning
• Do not harvest after rain
• Do not expose to sunrays
• Citrus fruits should be harvested with small button
only
• Wrong practice of harvesting citrus fruits with long
stalk
• Treat fruit with a fungicide within 24 hours of harvest
• Ensure bins and packing lines are regularly cleaned
and free of abrasive surfaces
13. Fruit Saving Gadgets
After plucking
from tree, fruit is
thrown in the
trough of fruit
saver and
collected in a
box/container.
The fruits are graded on size basis at
appropriate places. Smallest grade fruit is
collected first and largest grade is collected in
last
14. CLEANING
• Removes soil, disease spores and
surface spray residues.
• Water should be clean and free of
disease spores.
• Use sanitisers to kill free floating
spores.
• Monitor pH and temperature of
water.
15. WAXING
• Waxing is used to improve the appearance
of fruit, protect the fruit surface, slow down
the development of some rind disorders
and most importantly reduce water loss
from the fruit.
• Waxes used on fruit should be suitable for
human consumption.
• There are several different wax
formulations used including: Carnauba (a
natural wax extracted from palm leaves);
shellac based waxes; polyethylene based
waxes and resin based waxes.
16. DRYING
• After waxing, fruit are dried by
running high velocities of air across
the fruit .
• It takes between 2-3 minutes to dry
the wax.
• Cool or warm air is used to dry fruit
depending on conditions .
17. SORTING & GRADING
• Fruit are sorted on the packing line to remove
damaged fruit and to grade fruit according to market
specifications.
• Sorting can be done by hand or by using electronic
sorting equipment in the packing line.
• When hand sorting, good lighting is essential .
• Sorters also need to be provided with good
information on which fruit need to be removed/culled.
• Minimize fruit drops and other points of fruit handling
that can cause damage
• Grading:
• GRADES OF CITRUS ARE BASED ON Firmness
Cleanliness Size Color weight Shape Free from pests
and diseases
18. CIPHET Fruit 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
19. PACKAGING
• Fruit can be packed either as ''loose fill ''
or pattern packed depending on the
market being targeted.
• Pattern packing can be either ''open
pocket'' or ' 'closed pocket''.
• Fruit are normally packed in either a 30
or 15 litre cardboard cartons.
• Each package of fruit should be graded
to have a similar size, shape, colour and
condition (blemish level)
21. TRANSPORTATION &
MARKETING
• Packed in wooden boxes-distant
market
• Baskets-nearer market
• Chopped straw, dry grasses,
news papers as padding
material
22. STORAGE
• CITRUS are non climacteric fruit and have low
respiration rates.
• During storage the percentage of juice
increases (by up to16 %) primarily due to the
water stored in the peel.
• The acid content of fruit also increases (by up
to 24%) during storage and the peel colour
changes from green to yellow.
• CITRUS are sensitive to cold temperatures and
should not be stored at temperatures below 10
C as they develop chilling injury.
23. STORAGE
• The length of time lemons can be stored
depends on the stage that they are
picked.
• Fruit harvested with a yellow tinge can be
stored for a few weeks, silver-green fruit
6 weeks, light green fruit 2 months and
dark green fruit 5-6 months.
• In Australia long term storage is not
common practice. However, in California
they store fruit for long periods of time
and harvest fruit using four colour grades
24. PROCESSING
• Fruit Beverages
• Jam
• Jelly
• Marmalade
However for this pulp is needed & not
fruits. Hence citrus pulping plants,
aseptic packaging and cold storage
infrastructure is needed in
Production catchments
25. Value Added Products
SQUASH is a type of fruit beverage
containing at least 25 per cent fruit juice or
pulp and 40 to 50 per cent total soluble
solids, commercially. It also contains
about 1.0 per cent acid and 350 ppm
sulphur dioxide or 600 ppm sodium
benzoate. It is diluted before serving.
JAM is a product made by boiling fruit pulp
with sufficient amount of sugar to a
reasonably thick consistency, firm enough
to hold the fruit tissues in position.
26. Value Added Products
JELLY is a semi-solid product prepared by boiling a clear,
strained solution of pectin-containing fruit extract, free
from pulp, after the addition of sugar and acid . A perfect
jelly should be transparent, well-set, but not too stiff, and
should have the original flavour of the fruit . It should be of
attractive colour and keep its shape when removed from
the mould . It should be firm enough to retain a sharp
edge but tender enough to quiver when pressed.
MARMALADE preparation is practically the same as that for
jelly. In this case the pectin extract of fruit is not clarified
and the whole pulp is used. Sugar is added according to
the weight of fruit, generally in the proportion of 1:1 The
pulp-sugar mixture is cooked till the TSS content reaches
65 per cent.
27. Health Benefits of Citrus Seed
Extract
• Citrus seed extract also contains fiber, potassium and
pectin.
• Extract has powerful antioxidant effects on the body.
• Contains bioflavonoids that function to boost and
support the immune system.
• It also contains sterols, tocopherols, citric acid and
trace minerals.
• It can be used preventing cancer and treating fungal
infections.
• it works to alkalize the body, naturally stabilizes the
body’s pH level, which serves as a crucial part of
health renewal.
28. Preserving Segments for Off
Season Use
• Washing the fruit
• Heating the fruit to a core temperature of
between about 20 °C and 40°C
• Scoring the peel surface of the fruit so as not to
penetrate the juicy sections
• Vacuum infusing the air bubbles with an
aqueous solution of pectinases
• Incubating the fruit for a sufficient time
• Removing the peel from the segment
• Storing under refrigeration.
29.
30. OSMO-CONVECTIVE DEHYDRATION OF KINNOW
SEGMENTS
PROCESS
KINNOW
PEELING
SEPARATING OF SEGMENTS
REMOVAL OF SEEDS
DIPPING IN 60 % SUGAR
SYRUP FOR 6 h
DRAINING OF SYRUP
DRIED SEGMENTS
(60 OC FOR 10-12 h)
31. Use of Kinnow Peels for Face
Care Products
Kinnow Peel Face Pack
Kinnow Peel Face Toner
Kinnow peel is a major (30- 34 %)
processing waste generated during Kinnow
processing into juices.
Rich source of Vitamin C, Carotenoids,
limonene, antioxidants, micronutrients and
antibacterial limonoids.
The face mask/pack and face toner are a
rich blend of major concentration of Kinnow
peel extracts and other minor components
as preservatives and sticking agents.
The products possess very effective deep
cleansing properties along with stringent,
disinfectant and antiseptic action to protect
facial skin from unwanted blemishes
