1. Introduction
The horticultural produce includes fruits, vegetables, flowers and other ornamental plants,
plantation crops, aromatic and medicinal plants and spices. However, in this chapter, information on
fruits and vegetables is only included. According to Oxford English Dictionary, fruit can be defined
as ‘the edible product of a plant or tree, consisting of seed and its envelope, especially the latter
when it is juicy or pulpy’. The consumer definition of fruit would be ‘plant products with aromatic
flavours, which are either naturally sweet or normally sweetened before eating. The classification of
fruits and vegetables is arbitrary and according to usage. Botanically many crops, defined as
vegetables, are fruits (tomato, capcicum, melons etc.). Morphologically and physiologically the
fruits and vegetables are highly variable, may come from a root, stem, leaf, immature or fully
mature and ripe fruits. They have variable shelf life and require different suitable conditions during
marketing. All fresh horticultural crops are high in water content and are subjected to desiccation
(wilting, shriveling) and to mechanical injury. Various authorities have estimated that 20-30 percent
of fresh horticultural produce is lost after harvest and these losses can assume considerable
economic and social importance. That is why, these perishable commodities need very careful
handling at every stage so that deterioration of produce is restricted as much as possible during the
period between harvest and consumption.