The microbial community of bacteria and yeasts on the surfaces of fruit and
vegetables can influence the development of postharvest rots of fruit and vegetables . Although it was shown previously that the alphanumeric codes produced by the laser beams do not support the infiltration and survival of spoilage organism like Salmonella
spp. on tomato surface little additional information is available regarding the
decay of laser labeled fruits.
The present study addresses potential complications brought about by microflora population and various other postharvest losses on the laser labeled fruit in
comparison to non laser labeled.
investigatedThe composition and properties of a typical self-polishing, fungicide-containing
water wax was described by Newhall and Grierson (1955).
In general the rate of water loss from waxed fruit is comparable to unwashed fruit. Commercial use of waxes is extensive for fruits, especially apples and citrus, and some vegetables such as tomatoes, melons and cucumbers.
Limited use is observed in asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) peppers, carrots, radish, potatoes, squash and turnip (Baldwin, 1994).