Purpose of review: The pre-export application of agreed phytosanitary measures for economically important species of fruit flies (eg, Bactrocera tryoni – Queensland fruit fly) and other high risk pests are a critical aspect of New Zealand's biosecurity requirements. There are a number of successfully implemented treatments allowing for the commercial trade of fresh produce from Australia to New Zealand. The “tool box” of agreed measures include the application of post-harvest treatments such as heat treatments, cold disinfestation, chemical dips/sprays and methyl bromide fumigation. Other non-treatment options include sourcing products from recognised pest free areas (PFAs), the use of systems approaches and recognised non-host status. Over recent years, there has been a need to revise the commercial application for several of the historically recognised treatment options. In particular, the effective banning of dimethoate as an accepted post-harvest treatment option for several products required the development and implementation of new alternatives to facilitate the long-standing market access for important commodities such as mangoes, tomatoes and capsicums. The application of irradiation technology in this instance has successfully fulfilled an important technological and trade need. Furthermore, irradiation has also facilitated the market access for new commodities, such as lychees, and paved the way for the implementation of long-term and sustainable export-import programmes.Findings: A significant volume of irradiated mangoes, lychees, tomatoes and capsicums are now purchased by consumers in New Zealand. It is very clear that not only does irradiation fulfil a technological need but it also fulfils a consumer need by making quality produce available at competitive prices. Consequently, a significant proportion of the New Zealand public will consistently buy irradiated fresh produce when it is available to them.Directions for future research: The recent approval by FSANZ for the irradiation of a range of new commodities will open up further opportunities for both new market access (eg, for cherries and other stone fruit) and also provide a commercially viable treatment alternative for products with existing market access to New Zealand (eg, grapes). Since the commercial application of irradiation treatments has now been in place for more than a decade, trust and confidence in the technical effectiveness of the treatment has improved as well as consumer acceptance. Significant investments in associated infra-structure requirements directly relevant to the fresh produce supplychain (eg, maintaining the cold-chain before, during and after treatment) has also sent positive signals that irradiation is a sustainable and long-term option amongst the current toolbox of treatment options. Governments and regulators must now build on the existing science-based approvals and take a more pragmatic stand to ensure that the regulatory frameworks and approval processes are less obstructive and time consuming so that consumers can exercise their free choice of buying or not buying a wider range of irradiated produce.
Introduction Food irradiation is a technology that addresses both food quality and safety because of its ability to control spoilage and food borne pathogenic microorganisms without significantly affecting sensory or other organoleptic attributes of the food [1]. Foods are irradiated to provide the same benefits as when they are processed by other technologies such as heat, refrigeration, freezing or chemical treatment, but with no increase in food temperature, no potentially harmful residues, and with the advantage that it can be used to treat packaged food, which will remain safe and protected from microbial contamination after treatment.
Manufacturers of dry food products have a real challenge to exclude pests everywhere along the food chain because of the rather complex and different environments of food industry buildings. Current practices that influence pest presence and development in food industry facilities have been identified in the stages of food plant design, food ingredient reception and storage, processing or conditioning of finished food, and marketing. The preventive pest control measures in the food industry may be ineffective because of a non-observance of simple rules of good manufacturing practice (GMP), such as permanent control and monitoring of critical points or the ban of unsafe practices favourable to pest entry and infestation in food plants. The underutilization of methods for rapid assessment of pest presence and movement within food industry facilities, as well as the inability to rely on pest monitoring data for the economic damage threshold (EDT), are also underlined. Practical tools for processing data from pest monitoring systems should improve pest presence detection and alert. More realistic EDTs need to be proposed with direct links to decision-making support. More practical predictive models are also required for predicting the long-term efficacy and resilience of corrective control methods in food processing buildings, which should render the implementation of complex IPM programs easier.
Purpose of review: The pre-export application of agreed phytosanitary measures for economically important species of fruit flies (eg, Bactrocera tryoni – Queensland fruit fly) and other high risk pests are a critical aspect of New Zealand's biosecurity requirements. There are a number of successfully implemented treatments allowing for the commercial trade of fresh produce from Australia to New Zealand. The “tool box” of agreed measures include the application of post-harvest treatments such as heat treatments, cold disinfestation, chemical dips/sprays and methyl bromide fumigation. Other non-treatment options include sourcing products from recognised pest free areas (PFAs), the use of systems approaches and recognised non-host status. Over recent years, there has been a need to revise the commercial application for several of the historically recognised treatment options. In particular, the effective banning of dimethoate as an accepted post-harvest treatment option for several products required the development and implementation of new alternatives to facilitate the long-standing market access for important commodities such as mangoes, tomatoes and capsicums. The application of irradiation technology in this instance has successfully fulfilled an important technological and trade need. Furthermore, irradiation has also facilitated the market access for new commodities, such as lychees, and paved the way for the implementation of long-term and sustainable export-import programmes.Findings: A significant volume of irradiated mangoes, lychees, tomatoes and capsicums are now purchased by consumers in New Zealand. It is very clear that not only does irradiation fulfil a technological need but it also fulfils a consumer need by making quality produce available at competitive prices. Consequently, a significant proportion of the New Zealand public will consistently buy irradiated fresh produce when it is available to them.Directions for future research: The recent approval by FSANZ for the irradiation of a range of new commodities will open up further opportunities for both new market access (eg, for cherries and other stone fruit) and also provide a commercially viable treatment alternative for products with existing market access to New Zealand (eg, grapes). Since the commercial application of irradiation treatments has now been in place for more than a decade, trust and confidence in the technical effectiveness of the treatment has improved as well as consumer acceptance. Significant investments in associated infra-structure requirements directly relevant to the fresh produce supplychain (eg, maintaining the cold-chain before, during and after treatment) has also sent positive signals that irradiation is a sustainable and long-term option amongst the current toolbox of treatment options. Governments and regulators must now build on the existing science-based approvals and take a more pragmatic stand to ensure that the regulatory frameworks and approval processes are less obstructive and time consuming so that consumers can exercise their free choice of buying or not buying a wider range of irradiated produce.
Purpose of review: The pre-export application of agreed phytosanitary measures for economically important species of fruit flies (eg, Bactrocera tryoni – Queensland fruit fly) and other high risk pests are a critical aspect of New Zealand's biosecurity requirements. There are a number of successfully implemented treatments allowing for the commercial trade of fresh produce from Australia to New Zealand. The “tool box” of agreed measures include the application of post-harvest treatments such as heat treatments, cold disinfestation, chemical dips/sprays and methyl bromide fumigation. Other non-treatment options include sourcing products from recognised pest free areas (PFAs), the use of systems approaches and recognised non-host status. Over recent years, there has been a need to revise the commercial application for several of the historically recognised treatment options. In particular, the effective banning of dimethoate as an accepted post-harvest treatment option for several products required the development and implementation of new alternatives to facilitate the long-standing market access for important commodities such as mangoes, tomatoes and capsicums. The application of irradiation technology in this instance has successfully fulfilled an important technological and trade need. Furthermore, irradiation has also facilitated the market access for new commodities, such as lychees, and paved the way for the implementation of long-term and sustainable export-import programmes.Findings: A significant volume of irradiated mangoes, lychees, tomatoes and capsicums are now purchased by consumers in New Zealand. It is very clear that not only does irradiation fulfil a technological need but it also fulfils a consumer need by making quality produce available at competitive prices. Consequently, a significant proportion of the New Zealand public will consistently buy irradiated fresh produce when it is available to them.Directions for future research: The recent approval by FSANZ for the irradiation of a range of new commodities will open up further opportunities for both new market access (eg, for cherries and other stone fruit) and also provide a commercially viable treatment alternative for products with existing market access to New Zealand (eg, grapes). Since the commercial application of irradiation treatments has now been in place for more than a decade, trust and confidence in the technical effectiveness of the treatment has improved as well as consumer acceptance. Significant investments in associated infra-structure requirements directly relevant to the fresh produce supplychain (eg, maintaining the cold-chain before, during and after treatment) has also sent positive signals that irradiation is a sustainable and long-term option amongst the current toolbox of treatment options. Governments and regulators must now build on the existing science-based approvals and take a more pragmatic stand to ensure that the regulatory frameworks and approval processes are less obstructive and time consuming so that consumers can exercise their free choice of buying or not buying a wider range of irradiated produce.
Purpose of review: The pre-export application of agreed phytosanitary measures for economically important species of fruit flies (eg, Bactrocera tryoni – Queensland fruit fly) and other high risk pests are a critical aspect of New Zealand's biosecurity requirements. There are a number of successfully implemented treatments allowing for the commercial trade of fresh produce from Australia to New Zealand. The “tool box” of agreed measures include the application of post-harvest treatments such as heat treatments, cold disinfestation, chemical dips/sprays and methyl bromide fumigation. Other non-treatment options include sourcing products from recognised pest free areas (PFAs), the use of systems approaches and recognised non-host status. Over recent years, there has been a need to revise the commercial application for several of the historically recognised treatment options. In particular, the effective banning of dimethoate as an accepted post-harvest treatment option for several products required the development and implementation of new alternatives to facilitate the long-standing market access for important commodities such as mangoes, tomatoes and capsicums. The application of irradiation technology in this instance has successfully fulfilled an important technological and trade need. Furthermore, irradiation has also facilitated the market access for new commodities, such as lychees, and paved the way for the implementation of long-term and sustainable export-import programmes.Findings: A significant volume of irradiated mangoes, lychees, tomatoes and capsicums are now purchased by consumers in New Zealand. It is very clear that not only does irradiation fulfil a technological need but it also fulfils a consumer need by making quality produce available at competitive prices. Consequently, a significant proportion of the New Zealand public will consistently buy irradiated fresh produce when it is available to them.Directions for future research: The recent approval by FSANZ for the irradiation of a range of new commodities will open up further opportunities for both new market access (eg, for cherries and other stone fruit) and also provide a commercially viable treatment alternative for products with existing market access to New Zealand (eg, grapes). Since the commercial application of irradiation treatments has now been in place for more than a decade, trust and confidence in the technical effectiveness of the treatment has improved as well as consumer acceptance. Significant investments in associated infra-structure requirements directly relevant to the fresh produce supplychain (eg, maintaining the cold-chain before, during and after treatment) has also sent positive signals that irradiation is a sustainable and long-term option amongst the current toolbox of treatment options. Governments and regulators must now build on the existing science-based approvals and take a more pragmatic stand to ensure that the regulatory frameworks and approval processes are less obstructive and time consuming so that consumers can exercise their free choice of buying or not buying a wider range of irradiated produce.
Purpose of review: The pre-export application of agreed phytosanitary measures for economically important species of fruit flies (eg, Bactrocera tryoni – Queensland fruit fly) and other high risk pests are a critical aspect of New Zealand's biosecurity requirements. There are a number of successfully implemented treatments allowing for the commercial trade of fresh produce from Australia to New Zealand. The “tool box” of agreed measures include the application of post-harvest treatments such as heat treatments, cold disinfestation, chemical dips/sprays and methyl bromide fumigation. Other non-treatment options include sourcing products from recognised pest free areas (PFAs), the use of systems approaches and recognised non-host status. Over recent years, there has been a need to revise the commercial application for several of the historically recognised treatment options. In particular, the effective banning of dimethoate as an accepted post-harvest treatment option for several products required the development and implementation of new alternatives to facilitate the long-standing market access for important commodities such as mangoes, tomatoes and capsicums. The application of irradiation technology in this instance has successfully fulfilled an important technological and trade need. Furthermore, irradiation has also facilitated the market access for new commodities, such as lychees, and paved the way for the implementation of long-term and sustainable export-import programmes.Findings: A significant volume of irradiated mangoes, lychees, tomatoes and capsicums are now purchased by consumers in New Zealand. It is very clear that not only does irradiation fulfil a technological need but it also fulfils a consumer need by making quality produce available at competitive prices. Consequently, a significant proportion of the New Zealand public will consistently buy irradiated fresh produce when it is available to them.Directions for future research: The recent approval by FSANZ for the irradiation of a range of new commodities will open up further opportunities for both new market access (eg, for cherries and other stone fruit) and also provide a commercially viable treatment alternative for products with existing market access to New Zealand (eg, grapes). Since the commercial application of irradiation treatments has now been in place for more than a decade, trust and confidence in the technical effectiveness of the treatment has improved as well as consumer acceptance. Significant investments in associated infra-structure requirements directly relevant to the fresh produce supplychain (eg, maintaining the cold-chain before, during and after treatment) has also sent positive signals that irradiation is a sustainable and long-term option amongst the current toolbox of treatment options. Governments and regulators must now build on the existing science-based approvals and take a more pragmatic stand to ensure that the regulatory frameworks and approval processes are less obstructive and time consuming so that consumers can exercise their free choice of buying or not buying a wider range of irradiated produce.
Purpose of review: Abscission is a programmed developmental process initiated by auxin depletion. This review summarizes the mechanisms leading to auxin depletion in the abscission zone (AZ), evaluates the methods for estimation of the spatio-temporal auxin levels, demonstrates how auxin depletion occurs during natural, stress-induced, and artificially-induced organ abscission, and presents new evidence for early and late events resulting from auxin depletion which lead to organ abscission.Findings: Auxin depletion occurs during natural developmental processes which end in organ abscission (leaf and flower senescence, fruit ripening, and self-pruning) and stress-induced abscission, and following artificial organ removal in the tomato model system. Stress-induced auxin depletion is mediated by increased ethylene and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and carbohydrate starvation. Similar changes in auxin-related genes occurred in both flower AZ (FAZ) and leaf AZ (LAZ) following flower or leaf removal, respectively, suggesting a similar regulation of the abscission process of these organs. Auxin depletion resulted from decreased indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis and transport, as well as from enhanced IAA transport autoinhibition (ATA), conjugation and oxidative IAA catabolism. Functional analyses of several target genes delaying abscission, such as Knotted-Like Homeobox Protein1 (KD1), Tomato Proline Rich Protein (TPRP), Ethylene Responsive Factor52 (ERF52), and Ribonuclease LX (LX), shed light on various events operating in response to auxin depletion in tomato FAZ and/or LAZ. The information gained allows a better understanding of the abscission process driven by auxin depletion, and might lead to development of improved methods for abscission control in horticultural crops.Direction for future research: A better understanding of abscission regulation as it pertains to auxin depletion will require advanced molecular tools such as microarrays, new generation sequencing (NGS), transcriptomic, functional, and proteomic analyses of target genes and proteins found to operate in the abscission process.
Purpose of review: The pre-export application of agreed phytosanitary measures for economically important species of fruit flies (eg, Bactrocera tryoni – Queensland fruit fly) and other high risk pests are a critical aspect of New Zealand's biosecurity requirements. There are a number of successfully implemented treatments allowing for the commercial trade of fresh produce from Australia to New Zealand. The “tool box” of agreed measures include the application of post-harvest treatments such as heat treatments, cold disinfestation, chemical dips/sprays and methyl bromide fumigation. Other non-treatment options include sourcing products from recognised pest free areas (PFAs), the use of systems approaches and recognised non-host status. Over recent years, there has been a need to revise the commercial application for several of the historically recognised treatment options. In particular, the effective banning of dimethoate as an accepted post-harvest treatment option for several products required the development and implementation of new alternatives to facilitate the long-standing market access for important commodities such as mangoes, tomatoes and capsicums. The application of irradiation technology in this instance has successfully fulfilled an important technological and trade need. Furthermore, irradiation has also facilitated the market access for new commodities, such as lychees, and paved the way for the implementation of long-term and sustainable export-import programmes.Findings: A significant volume of irradiated mangoes, lychees, tomatoes and capsicums are now purchased by consumers in New Zealand. It is very clear that not only does irradiation fulfil a technological need but it also fulfils a consumer need by making quality produce available at competitive prices. Consequently, a significant proportion of the New Zealand public will consistently buy irradiated fresh produce when it is available to them.Directions for future research: The recent approval by FSANZ for the irradiation of a range of new commodities will open up further opportunities for both new market access (eg, for cherries and other stone fruit) and also provide a commercially viable treatment alternative for products with existing market access to New Zealand (eg, grapes). Since the commercial application of irradiation treatments has now been in place for more than a decade, trust and confidence in the technical effectiveness of the treatment has improved as well as consumer acceptance. Significant investments in associated infra-structure requirements directly relevant to the fresh produce supplychain (eg, maintaining the cold-chain before, during and after treatment) has also sent positive signals that irradiation is a sustainable and long-term option amongst the current toolbox of treatment options. Governments and regulators must now build on the existing science-based approvals and take a more pragmatic stand to ensure that the regulatory frameworks and approval processes are less obstructive and time consuming so that consumers can exercise their free choice of buying or not buying a wider range of irradiated produce.
Purpose of the review: Combination of irradiation treatment with other preservation techniques is of potential importance in enhancing the effectiveness and reducing the energy or dose requirement for destroying food borne illness and spoilage organisms while retaining or improving product quality. Phytosanitary irradiation to control quarantine pests, particularly insects, in traded fresh commodities may also benefit from combination with other disinfestation techniques to enhance effectiveness, and to reduce costs, treatment time, and product damage. Main findings: Combined preservation treatments can be beneficial to eliminate pathogenic bacteria due to the synergistic or additive effect of the treatments. It also permits less extreme use of a single treatment which may protect the sensory quality of the foods. Combination with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), refrigeration, freezing or heating has great potential for improving the quality and the safety of fresh and processed foods. Irradiation and heat treatments reduce the numbers of pathogenic bacteria and the level of normal flora, while MAP and cold suppresses the growth of the survivors during subsequent storage. The use of natural antimicrobials at concentrations that do not affect the sensory qualities can increase the relative sensitivity of bacteria by >4-fold and can reduce the radiation dose necessary to eliminate pathogens. Natural antimicrobials are normally not stable over time; microencapsulation and the use of edible coatings can improve stability of antimicrobial formulations and prolong their bioactivity. Phytosanitary irradiation doses to control insects (50 to 400 Gy) are relatively low compared to doses for food safety and sterilization applications. Lowering doses further could save money on treatment costs by reducing treatment time, increasing the capacity of irradiation facilities, and reducing any problems with commodity quality. Combining irradiation with other insect disinfestation modalities such as cold, heat, fumigation, modified atmospheres, and chemical insecticides is a possible means to reduce the radiation dose, and the duration, level, or concentration of the companion treatment while meeting the technical objectives of the quarantine treatment. Irradiation in combination with cold is particularly promising, as it may be a means to reduce the duration and therefore costs of current cold treatment protocols. Irradiation may also allow use of higher cold temperatures that do not cause chilling injury in cold-sensitive fruits. Directions for future research: The efficacy of active edible coating and active biodegradable packaging in combination with irradiation for microbial control needs further investigation and should be demonstrated at the industrial level. The use of combined treatments to eliminate viruses and parasites in food is not well studied and should be investigated. The effects of mild heat treatment before irradiation on insect radiotolerance and bacteria radiosensitization should be investigated. The relationship between MAP packaging and insect radiation tolerance needs to be explored for a wider variety of quarantine pest species, including surface pests and inherently tolerant Lepidoptera and mites. Additional research is needed to demonstrate the efficacy of irradiation plus cold combination treatments against insects in fresh produce while assessing commodity quality and the potential for commercial application.
Agriculture in India is the most important sector for food security and socio-economic development. Agriculture accounted for about 14 per cent of the GDP and employed about 60 per cent of the country’s population. This article tries to explore the problems faced by Indian agriculture for food security in terms of inadequate infrastructure and highly inefficient supply chain in context of information technology (IT). This article examines the critical issues at each sub-system of agriculture supply chain, starting from the input to the consumer, with a view to integrating them in efficient and effective manner. As proper flow of information across the chain constitutes an integral part, the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in improving supply chain efficiency in agriculture is discussed in detail. Thus, this article broadly covers some of the important aspects of agriculture supply chain in India—identification of issues at different levels in the supply chain; transformation in agriculture due to various supply chain interventions; the role of ICTs in supply chain management (SCM)—and the suggestion to improve efficiency at different levels in the supply chain. There is a wide research gap in this sector; having such potential and prospect for overall growth, not much research has been done in this field. The article concludes that ICT plays a very important role for the development and contemporary issues of agriculture; therefore, the government action must address the issue of infrastructure development to achieve the objective of food security for all.
Purpose of review: This review discusses the combination of biological control agents with physical (heat, gamma or UV-C irradiation, controlled atmosphere) or chemical (salt additives, chitosan, natural plant products) treatments against the main postharvest fruit diseases. Findings: The use of biocontrol agents (BCAs) to control postharvest fruit diseases is still constrained by the lack of high levels of disease control required in the postharvest phase (more than 95%). Their inconsistent activity is one of the main factors preventing their routine application on fruit after harvest. Therefore, to overcome this issue, integrated strategies were explored and continue to be one of the fields most investigated in postharvest fruit disease control, in order to achieve maximum effectiveness. The combination of BCAs with physical and chemical treatments, including fungicides at low doses, resulted in an increase of BCAs effectiveness against fungal diseases such as Pencillium spp., Monilinia spp., Botrytis cinerea , etc. Since the integration of different treatments could benefit from their additive or synergic effects and improve the efficacy of each single method. Limitations: It is unrealistic to assume that BCAs have the same fungicidal activity as pesticides; the evaluation of their compatibility with other methods therefore seems to be the main topic that will be developed in the near future. Nevertheless, it is necessary to evaluate the possible detrimental effects of some treatments like gamma irradiation or essential oils on qualitative fruit parameters in view of their commercial application. In addition, the use of low doses of fungicides cannot be applied to organic production. Directions for further research: Specific appropriate strategies have to be evaluated for each species and pathogen in order to tailor a complete integrated disease management. Moreover, these integrated applications have to be investigated at commercial levels, including during fruit handling, in order to ascertain their practical efficacy.
Purpose of the review: This review focuses on the issues of fruit postharvest disease control; firstly the appearance of pathogen isolates resistant to common fungicides followed by stricter regulatory policies that impose a reduction in their use. Emphasis is given to the attempts to introduce effective biological control agents (BCAs) able to reduce fruit losses by an improvement in their formulation. Findings : At the beginning of the 1960s, treatments based on chemical fungicides as the main method of reducing postharvest fruit losses obtained satisfactory results. However, the fungicide option for managing postharvest decays is increasingly limited; in addition, the use of fungicides on fruit after harvest is regulated by different food protection agencies. The intense use of fungicides in the postharvest phase has contributed to the appearance of resistant isolates, widespread in packinghouses. Nowadays, fungicide resistance is frequently reported for the main fungal pathogens such as Penicillium , Monilinia , Botrytis, etc. Although the use of synthetic chemical fungicides remains a primary method of controlling postharvest diseases, the global trend appears to be shifting towards reduced use of fungicides, substituting them with alternative methods like biofungicides. However, the great effort made by researchers, documented by many peer-reviewed publications, has been only partially compensated by the appearance on the market of BCAs available for industrial application to control postharvest decays. Limitations : There are several reasons for the limited diffusion of biofungicides, some relate to an intrinsic ineffectiveness of BCAs such as their inconsistency, and the variability of the control under commercial conditions. Some are relate to their formulation which reduces the activity of antagonists with respect to the fresh cells, the high cost of the production, and the regulatory barriers to BCA registration in different countries that do not encourage their dissemination. Directions for further research : The formulation process represents an important step for maintaining a high and stable BCA efficacy. Dehydration of the product and maintenance in a dry environment is preferable to liquid formulations since antagonists can be handled using the normal distribution and storage channels. Unfortunately, not all microorganisms are able to survive drying conditions; they can lose viability during the drying process and storage. In order to avoid undesirable effects, cryoprotecting media have to be assessed during freeze-drying treatments in order to conserve antagonist viability. For example, in the case of Bacillus sp., its sporeforming ability could provide high resistance to extreme environmental conditions, making it a good candidate for developing stable and efficient products. In addition, the introduction of BCAs in wax or oil-based coatings can represent a useful strategy, above all for citrus fruit, papaya or mango that are treated by application of the coating after harvest.
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