Although each postharvest treatment was dealt with separately
for simplicity, in reality, a combination of approaches are used. As
pointed out earlier, fruit maturation at harvest is the most important
factor affecting TSS and TSS:TA (Kader et al., 1978a; Kader
et al., 1977). Senescence can be managed by postharvest storage
at 12.5 ◦C which is the simplest and most effective strategy.
MA (4% oxygen balanced with high Nitrogen and high humidity,
i.e. greater than 85%) can further attenuate ripening along with
cool temperatures. To reduce crop loss from disease, fruit may
be exposed to heat or ozone (Das et al., 2006), but more efficient
sanitation can be had by irradiating fruit with UV, X- or gamma
rays. Irradiation is a particularly effective strategy since it also
increases antioxidants and preserves TSS.