Appropriate post harvest handling practices are important to minimize post harvest losses and to maintain the quality of
fruits and vegetables. Potential post harvest handling activities include packaging, pre -treatment, pre-cooling, washing with
water and sorting [ 11]. The function of packaging is to protect the produce from mechanical injury and contamination during
marketing. It also prevents moisture loss, and facilitates in chemical treatment and ethylene absorption [14]. Pre-treatment
of fruits are mostly carried out to protect the produce from decay causing factors such as microorganisms [11]. Rapid pre -cooling of commodities with short post harvest shelf life will maintain the produce in a condition acceptable to the consumer
because rapid lowering of temperat ure could help slow down the rate of metabolism and therefore extend the shelf life of
the produce [15]. Usually, cleaning and washing are the only preservation treatments applied to minimally process fresh
fruits and vegetables. Cleaning could also involv e removal of foreign materials like twigs, stalks, dirt, sand, soil, insects,
pesticides and fertiliser residues from fruits and vegetables, as well as from containers and equipment [16]. In addition,
sorting is carried out to discard decayed or injured pr oduce and therefore to limit the spread of infection to other units,
especially if no post harvest pesticides are used [17]