Heat treatment has been studied as an alternative to chemical treatments for
harvested fresh fruit and vegetables. Treatments include hot water dip (HWD),
saturated water vapour heat, hot dry air and hot water rinse (HWR) with brushing.
Beneficial effects of these heat treatments are linked
(i) through changes in physiological processes such as a reduction in chilling injury
and delay of ripening processes by heat inactivation of degradative enzymes
(ii) killing of critical insect contaminations
(iii) controlling the onset of fungal decay.