POSTHARVEST HANDLING AND SEED TECHNOLOGY

PACKAGIN
G
OPERATIO
N
PREPARED BY: GROUP 4
INSTRUCTOR: DIANA GRACE DE MESA-MOLINA
Outline
Selection for Packaging
6
1 Packaging Operation Fresh Produce

2 Types of Packaging Materials

The Cost-Effectiveness of
7
Packaging
3 Main Functions of Packaging

Criteria in Choosing the 8 Associated Hazard

4
Right Packaging

5 Packing House
PACKAGING OPERATION
WHAT IS
PACKAGING
OPERATION?
• A coordinated system of preparing goods or
transport, distribution, storage, retailing and
end use.
• A means of ensuring safe delivery to the
ultimate consumer in sound conditions at
minimum cost.
Introductio
n
Packaging fresh fruits and vegetables is one
of the more important steps in the long and
complicated journey from grower to
consumer. Product packaging is a critical
post-harvest handling process that must
protect the product from physical damage,
minimize moisture loss, and prevent
contamination.
Introductio
n
It is essential to
minimize physical
damage to fresh
produce to obtain
optimal shelf-life. The
use of suitable
packaging is vital in this
respect.
Introductio
n
Individual packing of the
product is most suitable as it
ensures its microenvironment
and also reduces physical
contact with others which
improves its texture and
nature and prevents the
spread of disease-causing
pathogens.
Introductio
nPacking plays a crucial role in enhancing the postharvest
life of produce and ideal packing material should possess
some characters:

• Readily available
• Easy to handle i.e., less weight
• Cost-effective
• Provide adequate ventilation for produce
• Eco friendly
Packing and Packaging
materials contribute a
significant cost to the produce
industry.

It is important that packers,

shipper, buyers, and consumers
have a clear understanding of
the wide range of packaging
options available.
TYPES OF
PACKAGING
MATERIALS
TYPES OF PACKAGING MATERIALS

Natural Materials Plastic Bags

Wood Materials Shrink Wrap

Pulp Containers Rigid Plastic Packages

Paper and Mesh Bags Plastic field boxes

NATURAL MATERIALS

Baskets and other

traditional containers are
made from bamboo, rattan,
straw palm leaves, etc.
NATURAL MATERIALS

Disadvantages are:
• They are difficult to clean when contaminated with decay
organisms.
• They lack rigidity and bend out of shape when stacked for
long-distance transport.
• They load badly because of their shape.
• They cause pressure damage when tightly filled.
• They often have sharp edges or splinters causing cut and
puncture damage.
WOOD MATERIALS

1.Wood Pallet

The pallets are built as inexpensively as

possible and discarded after a single
use.
The use of a single pallet size
could substantially reduce pallet
inventory and warehousing costs
along with pallet repair and
disposal costs.
WOOD MATERIALS

2. Pallet Bins

Primarily used to move produce

from the field or orchard to the
packinghouse.
Pallet bin can add up to big problems
when several hundred are stacked
together for cooling, ventilation, or
storage. It is also important that stress
points be adequately reinforced.
WOOD MATERIALS
3. Wire-Bound
Crates

Wooden wire-bound crates are used

for commodities that require hydro
cooling.
Wire-bound crates are sturdy, rigid
and have very high stacking strength,
these are not generally acceptable for
consumer packaging because of the
difficulty in affixing suitable labels.
WOOD MATERIALS

4. Wooden Crates

Once extensively used for stone

fruit, and have been almost totally
by other of containers.

Advances in material handling

have reduced their use to a few
specialty items, such as fruit.
WOOD MATERIALS

5. Wooden Baskets and

Hampers
Used for a wide variety of crops.
They are durable and nested for
efficient transport when empty.

However, cost, disposal problems,

and difficulty in efficient palletization
have severely limited their use to
mostly local grower markets where
they may be re-used many times.
CORRUGATED FIBERBOARD

Manufactured in many different

styles and weights. Because of its
relativity low cost and versatility,
it is the dominant produce
container material and will
probably remain so in the near
future
CORRUGATED FIBERBOARD

Both cold temperatures and high humidity

reduce the strength of fiberboard
containers. Unless the container is specially
treated, moisture absorbed from the
surrounding air and the contents can
reduce the strength of the container.
Cabbage, melons, potatoes, pumpkins, and
citrus have all been shipped successfully in
these containers. The container cost per
produce is as little as one fourth of
traditional size containers. Some bulk
containers may be collapsed and re-used.
PULP CONTAINERS

Made from recycled paper pulp and a

starch binder are mainly used for small
consumer packages of fresh produce.
Pulp containers are available in a large
variety of shapes and sizes and are
relatively inexpensive in standard sizes.
can absorb surface moisture from the
product, are also biodegradable, made
from recycled materials, and recyclable.
PAPER AND MESH BAGS

Consumer packs of potatoes and onions

are about the only produce items now
packed in mesh bags.

In addition to its low cost, mesh has the

advantage of uninhibited air flow. Good
ventilation is particularly beneficial to
onions. Supermarket produce managers
like small mesh bags because they
make attractive displays that stimulate
purchases.
PAPER AND MESH BAGS

Have several serious

disadvantages. Large bags do not
palletize well and small bags do nc
efficiently fill the space inside
corrugated fiberboard containers.
Bags do not offer protection from
rough handling. Mesh bags
provide little protection from light
or contaminants.
PLASTIC BAGS

Plastic bags (polyethylene film)

are the predominant material for
fruit and vegetable consumer
packaging. Besides the very low
material costs, automated
bagging machines further reduce
packing costs. Film bags are clear,
allowing for easy inspection of the
contents, and readily accept high
quality graphics.
SHRINK WRAP

Shrink wrapping has been used

successfully to package potatoes,
sweet potatoes, apples, onions,
sweet corn.

Shrink wrapping with an engineered

plastic wrap can reduce shrinkage,
protect the produce from disease,
reduce mechanical damage and
provide a good surface for stick-on
labels.
RIGID PLASTIC PACKAGES

Packages with a top and bottom

that are heat formed from one or
two pieces of plastic are known as
clamshells. Clamshells are most
often used with consumer packs
of high value produce items like
small fruit, berries, mushrooms,
etc.,
Rigid Plastic Packages
PLASTIC FIELD BOXES

These are usually made of

polyvinyl chloride or
palyetylene. They are durables
and can last many years. They
are designed in such a way that
they can nest inside each other
when empty to facilitate
transport, and can nest inside
each other when empty to
facilitate transport.
 MAIN FUNCTIONS OF PACKAGING

1 2
To assemble the To protect the
produce into produce during,
convenient units for storage and
handling. marketing
(protection).
 MAIN FUNCTIONS OF PACKAGING

3 4
It allows for easy Provides essential
handling, storage, and information about the
transportation by product, such as type,
keeping produce grade, weight, origin, and
together in manageable handling instructions.
units.
 MAIN FUNCTIONS OF PACKAGING

5 6
Proper packaging Modern packaging
offers convenience designs aim to reduce
environmental impact by
for consumers in
using recyclable or
terms of portion
biodegradable materials,
sizes, ease of use, contributing to
and storage. sustainability in the
supply chain.
CRITERIA
IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACKAGING

Recyclability Variety Sales Appeal Shelf Life

Protection Protection Container Shelf Life

CRITERIA
IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACKAGING

Recyclability/
Biodegradability
• A growing number of municipalities have
waste disposal restrictions for packaging
materials.
• In the near future, almost all produce
packaging will be recyclable or
biodegradable, both.
• Many of the largest buyers of fresh
produce are also those most concerned
CRITERIA
IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACKAGING

Variety

• The trend is toward greater use

of bulk packages for processors
and wholesale buyers and
smaller packages for consumers.
• There are now more than 1,500
different sizes and styles of
produce packages.
CRITERIA
IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACKAGING

Sales Appeal

• High quality graphics are

increasingly being used to
boost sales appeal. Multi-
color printing, distinctive
lettering, and logos are
CRITERIA
IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACKAGING

Shelf Life

• Modern produce packaging can be

custom engineered for each
commodity to extend shelf life and
reduce waste.
 CRITERIA
IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACKAGING

Container

• The container must enclose the produce

in convenient units for handling and
distribution
• The produce should fit well inside the
container, with little wasted space.
• Small produce items that are spherical or
oblong (such as potatoes, onions, and
apples) may be packaged efficiently
utilizing a variety of different package
CRITERIA
IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACKAGING

Protection
• The package must protect the
produce from mechanical damage
and poor environmental conditions
during handling and distribution.
• Produce containers must be sturdy
enough to resist image during
packaging, storage, transportation
to market.
CRITERIA
IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACKAGING

Identificatio
n
• The package must identify and provide useful
information about the produce.
• It is customary (and may be required in some
cases) to provide information such as the
produce name, brand, size, grade, variety, net
weight, count, grower, shipper, and country of
origin.
• In consumer marketing, pack-age appearance
has also become an important part of point-of-
CRITERIA
IN CHOOSING THE RIGHT PACKAGING

Identificatio
n
• Universal Product Codes (UPC or bar
codes) may be included as part of the
labeling. The UPCs used in the food
industry consist of a ten-digit machine
readable code.
• Efficient use of UPCs requires
coordination with everyone who
PACKING HOUSE
HANDLING
PACKING HOUSE

A packhouse is a physical structure where

harvested produce is consolidated and
prepared for transport and distribution to
markets. Packing is the main activity from which
the name ‘packhouse’ is derived. But there are
activities before and after packing— together
they are called packhouse operations.
PACKING HOUSE HANDLING INCLUDE:
Sorting
• Removes foreign matter (stones, leaves,
debris)

Cleaning and washing

• Hand washing or on a line use only clean
running water
PACKING HOUSE HANDLING INCLUDE:
Fungicide treatment
• Post-harvest application of fungicide is usual on
crops such as bananas, yams and citrus fruit
which are to be stored for a long period or those
which undergo long periods of transport to distant
markets.

Quality selection and grading

• Manually or on a packing line.
PACKING HOUSE

Sample Process of Vegetables in Packing House

 SELECTION OF PACKAGING
FOR FRESH PRODUCE
Besides providing a uniform-size package to protect the produce,
there are other requirements for a container:

• It should be easily transported when empty

• It must be easy to assemble, fill and close either by hand or by
use of a simple machine;
• It must provide adequate ventilation for contents during
transport and storage;
• Its capacity should be suited to market demands
 SELECTION OF PACKAGING
FOR FRESH PRODUCE
Besides providing a uniform-size package to protect the produce,
there are other requirements for a container:

• Suitable packages and handling techniques can reduce the

amount of damage to which fresh produce is exposed during
marketing.
• Packaging should be designed to prevent physical damage to
produce, and be easy to handle.
• Its dimensions and design must be suited to the available
transport in order to load neatly and firmly;
 SELECTION OF PACKAGING
FOR FRESH PRODUCE
Besides providing a uniform-size package to protect the produce,
there are other requirements for a container:

• It must be cost-effective in relation to the market value

of the commodity for which used;
• It must be readily available, preferably from more than
one supplier.
THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS
OF PACKAGING

• The use of packaging represents an added cost in

marketing and the price of the marketed product
must take account of the capital outlay and unit-
packaging cost as well as expected profit.

• To make an exact assessment of the added value

is difficult because many factors may offset the
cost of packaging.
THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS
OF PACKAGING

For example:

• Losses should be significantly reduced.

• Presentation and quality of the product may
make it more desirable, a competitive
advantage.
• Marketable life of the produce may be
 Associated Hazard
Poor packing design (reduces efficiency and increases the
risk of mechanical and biological hazards).

Improper packing (lack of ventilation, low material

resistance, sharp and wrinkled surfaces, etc.).

Over packing (many product layers).

Inappropriate pile up during packing.

Packing products with different degree of maturity

Back to Agenda
Associated Hazard
Poor packing design (reduces efficiency and increases the
risk of mechanical and biological hazards).

Improper packing (lack of ventilation, low material

resistance, sharp and wrinkled surfaces, etc.).

Over packing (many product layers).

Inappropriate pile up during packing.

Packing products with different degree of maturity

Associated Hazard
Mechanical damages caused by personnel or improper
design of mechanical grading machines.’

Problems regarding over-handling of products and

inappropriate process flows during post-harvest handling.
THANK
YOU!