Handling, Transportation and Storage of Foods

A huge effort, natural resources, and money are spent for production; collection and/ or harvesting of produce,
but on the other hand around 10-15% in developed countries and 20-40% in developing countries, depending on
the produce, is being lost after harvest. This means that about one-quarter of what is produced never reaches the
consumers. On the other hand world population is increasing day-by-day and demand of food is rising. According
to FAO (2015) about one in eight of the world population was suffering from chronic undernourishment. So these
losses must be eliminated to meet food requirement of growing population. These losses can be eliminated or
reduced by the usage of optimum harvest factors, reduction of losses in handling, packaging, transportation and
storage with modern infrastructure machinery, processing into a wide variety of products, home scale preservation
with low cost technology. Use of thermal processing, low temperature, drying, chemical and biological reactions
coupled with other preservation techniques are applied to enhance the storability. Containers and packaging
materials confer portability as well as extend the shelf-life. Adoption of these techniques could make available a
large quantity of food by avoiding losses and provide better quality food and nutrition, more raw materials for
processing, thus ensuring better returns to the farmers.

Scope and importance of Handling, Transportation and Storage of Foods:

Handling, transportation and storage are the integral parts of the production process. After harvesting the food
materials i.e. grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts are moved, transported or conveyed from one place another. In earlier
time all these operations were carried out manually, therefore a large portion of food that was produced were
failed to reach the consumer. More ever food often becomes either unpalatable or unsafe for human consumption.
But in modern time all these operations are performed by mechanical devices and the food can be transported
from one place to another place in its natural condition. It can be stored for longer period by the use of various
preservation methods or storage techniques. These operations are involved in each and every food industry as
preliminary unit operations during processing and even after the production of final product. So we can say that
these operations are starting from the field and end with the fork, which means these operations have very vast
scope and importance for food industries.

Importance:

The main importance of handling, transportation and storage of foods is to minimize the losses that occurred
during post harvest manual handling, transportation and storage. At present the food which is spoiled in few hours
can be stored for many days in its natural condition by using new preservation techniques. When food is handled
and transported manually it takes lot of time to reach the consumer that affects its quality. But now a day by the
use of new latest techniques of handling and transportation, the food can be transported in its natural condition to
the ultimate consumer without loss of any quality. By the use of latest storage techniques like CAS, MAS, frozen
storage and transportation the food can be stored for longer period without utilization of any processing and
preservation technique.

Post harvest losses: Post-harvest loss can be defined as the loss from the stage of harvesting to the stage of
consumption resulting from qualitative loss, quantitative loss and the food waste (by the consumers) altogether.
These losses can occur during any of the various phases of post harvest system i.e.
1. during harvesting
2. during transportation
3. during drying
4. during threshing
 5. during processing
6. during storage

Some of physical causes of post harvest losses:

• loss of moisture, causing wilting/ shrinkage

• loss of stored energy eg carbohydrates
• loss of other food constituents e g. vitamins
• physical losses through pest and disease attack
• loss in quality from physiological disorders
• fibre development
• greening (potatoes)
• root or shoot growth
• seed germination

Natural post harvest losses:

1. Loss in weight
2. Loss in quality
3. Economical loss

Loss in weight: means a reduction of physical substance of the product. A distinction must be made between loss
in weight and loss in product. The decrease of moisture content brings about a lowering of weight, but this is not
a food loss. Weight losses are mainly due to prolonged action of pests (insect, birds and rodents) or to leakage of
products (perforated bags, spoilage during handling). They can occur at any stage of production but specially
during the harvest, storage and transport.

Loss in quality: Means a decrease in market value of the product. Loss in quality can occur in various form i.e.

i) Change in colour
ii) Change in smell
iii) Change in taste
iv) Loss in nutritional value (degradation of proteins, loss of vitamins)
v) Loss of cooking, milling or baking quality
vi) Contamination of stored produce with mycotoxins or pathogenic agents
vii) Loss in germination power
viii) Presence of excreta like bird and rodent excreta

Economical loss: A reduction in quantities or qualities of grain means a corresponding economical loss i.e. loss
of money.
Post harvest Changes in foods:
Changes occur after harvesting of food and during storage are classified as below:
1) Biochemical / Enzymatic changes
2) Chemical changes.
3) Physiological changes
4) Microbiological changes
1) Biochemical/ Enzymatic changes – Natural food enzymes are responsible for these changes in foods. The
biochemical changes occur in food may desirable or undesirable eg browning action of apple is undesirable where
as browning in cake cooking is desirable. If initially enzymatic reactions are uncontrolled, the off color or off
odor may be developed in the food eg.

a) Enzymatic browning in apple, banana, brinjal, potato: when these fruits are peeled and exposed to oxygen,
a brown color develop on the cut surfaces due to enzyme(polyphenol oxidase) activated by oxygen (oxidation of
phenols to quinones which in turn rapidly polymerize to form melanin, the brown color pigment)

b) Tendering and ageing of meat: Natural tendering and ageing of meat is desirable result of proteolytic
enzyme. Meat becomes soft due to hydrolysis and denaturation of protein. (by enzyme papain from papaya,
bromelain from pineapple, ficin from fig, trypsin from pancrease)

c) Development of desirable flavor and texture in cheese: Rennin splits the protein of cheese into peptones &
peptides. Enzyme formed by the microorganism’s act on these & other substances to form products like amino
acids, amines, fatty acids, esters, aldehydes, alcohols & ketones that give its characteristic flavour.
d) Oxidation of phenolic substances in case of tea leading to desirable colour development. During this
process, the enzymes cause the oxidation of various polyphenols present in juices, resulting in the change of
colour from green to reddish copper. Two of the important polyphenols that undergo oxidative changes are
catechin and gallocatechin.

e) Changes occur during ripening due to the presence of enzymes present in the plant tissue:
The colour changes from green to yellow or orange red in colour is breakdown of chlorophyll. Synthesis or
exposure of carotenoids and anthocyanin pigments occur.
Softening of the flesh occurs during ripeining proteopectin is converted to pectin and in over ripe fruits, pectin
is converted to pectinic acid.

There is decrease in acidity, increase in sugar, increase in volatile substances and increase in essential oils.
Increase in sugar and decrease in starch causes change in the soluble solids.
Astringent property decreases. All these changes produce a pleasant flavour.
2 Chemical changes: - They are associated with enzymatic action, oxidative reaction and non enzymatic
browning. After harvesting several changes occur in food due to interaction of internal food components and
external environments factors such as light, air, temp. etc .These changes may cause food deterioration & reducing
the shelf life of the product.
a)Non enzymatic browning: Non enzymatic browning is the process of food turning brown due to a chemical
reaction that is not catalyzed by an enzyme. It involves a chemical reaction between the amine group of free
amino acid and the carbonyl group of reducing sugar.
It is also called carbonyl-amine reaction. The brown colour formed contributes to the aroma, flavor, and colour
of many ready to eat cereals, baked food, malted barley etc.

b) Rancid flavor due to oxidation of unsaturated fat: When unsaturated triglyceride reacts with oxygen from
the air, it leads to the formation of aldehydes and ketones responsible for unpleasant rancid taste and odour.
c) Souring of milk( lactose to lactic acid): conversion of more or less milk-sugar into lactic acid, which causes
precipitation of casein and makes soluble the other insoluble constituents.Therefore milk souring is known as a
chemical transition or chemical change because it ends up forming a new product that is the lactic acid, hence
leaving the milk sour.

d) Conversion of milk into curd: Milk is converted into curd or yogurt by the process of fermentation. Milk
consists of globular proteins called casein. Here curd forms because of the chemical reaction between the lactic
acid bacteria and casein. During fermentation, the bacteria use enzymes to produce energy (ATP) from lactose.

e) In case of grain carbohydrate ferment, producing alcohol, acetic acid and sour odour, when stored at more
than 15% moisture content.
f) Stiffness of meat muscle (rigor mortis): rigor means ‘stiffness’ and mortis means ‘of death’
or postmortem rigidity, Rigor Mortis or postmortem rigidity is the stiffness of the muscles and joints of the
body post-death of a person, usually lasting between one and four days. When a person dies, the body no longer
receives oxygen. As a result, chemical reactions and exchanges do not occur. The muscles cannot produce ATP.
The actin and myosin filaments remain contracted and the muscles remain tense.

3 Microbiological changes: Like other living things microorganisms need nutrients, water and minerals to
survive and grow. Microorganisms degrade foods to obtain these requirements that bring various changes in
foods. Out of these changes some are desirable and some are undeniable. The main m.o's responsible for these
changes are bacteria, yeast and mold. Some Common Changes in foods are:

a) Off flavor development in dairy products

b) Putrid odor development (decaying and therefore smelling very bad )in case of meat, fish and poultry
c) Wet or soft rot (a mushy, watery, or slimy decay of plants or their parts caused by bacteria or fungi):
In case of vegetables usually produce by bacteria secrete enzymes that is capable of decomposing cell
wall structures, thereby destroying the texture of plant tissue—i.e., the plant tissue becomes soft and
watery. Soft rots commonly occur on fleshy vegetables such as potato, carrot

d) Under controlled conditions microorganism change a food into another desirable product such as
cabbage to sauerkraut, grape juice to wine or alcohol to vinegar.
e) Slime on surface of meat : Meat becoming slimy is a sign that bacteria have started to multiply on its
surface. Meat that has gone bad usually has a sticky feel to it.

f) Ropiness incase of bread and milk: Ropiness is a quality defect caused by microbial activity thread
like structure and an unpleasant fruity odor developed in bread and milk
 e) Mycotoxins in case of grain: Mycotoxins are poisonous substances produced by fungi or mold.
They can be toxic for humans when they are eaten, absorbed into the skin, or inhaled. A small
amount of mycotoxin can be damaging to human or animal health and even cause death.

4) Physiological changes: Physiological changes Can be brought out by temperature change, moisture & dryness
& mishandling of food during harvesting, processing and distribution. These changes lead to a reduction in shelf
life of foods eg

a) Moisture:

Caking in food powders is a major undesirable physical change occurs due to absorption of moisture. This is
due to an inadequate barrier provided by the package. This may lead to other forms of deterioration, such as
bacterial growth and chemical reactions such as oxidation, as well as surface defects like mottling.
crystallization, and stickiness.

In a moisture-proof package, food materials such as fruits and vegetables can give off moisture from respiration
and transpiration, which gets trapped within the package and supports the growth of microorganisms.

b) Temperature:

Temperature is the most important environmental factor which influences the postharvest life of a produce. The
optimum storage temperature of commodities is differing among not only commodities but for species. Typically,
for every increase of 10°C, the rate of deterioration increases between 2‐ and 3‐fold.

Low temperature: Freezing of many foods will cause undesirable changes, such as the destruction of emulsions
and texture.

Emulsified products, such as salad dressing, contain a fat/oil and water mixture which does not combine without
special processing or additives. If these types of products are frozen, the emulsion will be destroyed and the fat
and water will separate into distinct layers.
ii) Chilling injury in case of fruits & vegetables during storage: means injury that is caused by a temperature drop
to below 150C but above the freezing point.(5-130C)
Chilling injury results in a loss of quality, manifested as surface pitting, discoloration (external/ internal), water-
soaked area, internal breakdown, uneven or incomplete ripening, off-flavor.

High Temperature:
There is a moderate temperature range over which much of the food is handled i.e. 10°-38°C within this range,
for every 10°C rise in temperature, the rate of chemical reaction is approximately doubled, in terms of many
enzymatic as well as non enzymatic reactions.

Vegetables contain more than 80% water and some vegetable such as tomato, cabbage and cucumber contain
as high as 90 to 95% water. As little as 5% loss in water causes many vegetables to appear wilted or shriveled
which make the vegetable tissue soft, losing crispness, loss in weight and lower quality. This happens to
several leafy vegetables and root vegetables within a few hours after harvest. Water loss is also associated with
degradative effects on other vegetable components such as pigments and vitamins.

Wilting shriveling

c) Light:
One of the most common problem due to light is the greening of potatoes. This condition is also referred to as
sunburn. It is the result of the exposure of the potatoes to sunlight during growth or after digging, and to artificial
light during display for sale. After exposing for two days or longer to either natural or artificial light, a green
pigment develops. The skin and the flesh are affected. Chlorophyll and an alkaloid called solanine are produced
due to exposure to light. Chlorophyll is tasteless and harmless, whereas the green tubers acquire a bitter, pungent
taste due to solanine and if eaten in quantity, they may be poisonous.

d) Sprouting of potato: Sprouting is one of the factors leading to the loss of quality that contributes to the
remobilization of storage compounds, primarily starch and proteins, and shrinkage due to water loss.The part of
the potato plant we eat is its tubers, which store excess nutrients until spring when they convert those nutrients
into energy and start growing sprouts

e) Bruising of fruits and vegetables during harvesting and post harvest handling, leads to the development of
rot.

f) Absorption of odour in case of milk, when left open in refrigerator will pick up odors from highly volatile
open products in the refrigerator.