4. Waxing and other surface coatings,
including film wrapping are used to
4 Adel A Kader
reduce water loss and in some cases
modify the atmosphere (oxygen and
carbon dioxide concentrations) around
the commodity.
5. Heat treatments (hot water or air,
vapor heat) may be used for decay
control (such as anthracnose on mango
and crown rot on banana) and/or for
insect control to meet quarantine
requirements for some commodities,
such as mango and papaya.
6. Treatment with postharvest
fungicides (in the wax or separately) at
concentrations that assure that the
residue level is below the maximum
residue limit (MRL) allowed by the
regulatory authorities.
7. Special chemical treatments (sprout
inhibitors, scald inhibitors, calcium,
growth regulators, ethylene –action
inhibitors, such as 1-
methylcyclopropene, and/or
postharvest fungicides