Work

Postharvest Physiology of Fruits and Vegetables: Implications for Knowledge Transfer and Sustainability Among Local Producers in Mexico

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Proper handling during harvesting and subsequent postharvest management is essential to reduce losses in fruits and vegetables, particularly because these products remain metabolically active after harvest. Physiological processes such as respiration, transpiration, ethylene production, softening, physiological disorders, and postharvest diseases determine quality deterioration, shelf life, and marketability. However, these processes do not affect all commodities in the same way; for example, climacteric fruits are strongly influenced by ethylene during ripening, whereas non-climacteric fruits generally show lower ethylene production and different postharvest behavior. In Mexico, postharvest management is especially relevant because fruit and vegetable producers differ widely in terms of production scale, infrastructure, access to technology, financing capacity, and market destination. Producers with limited access to technology require practical and low-cost alternatives, while more technologically advanced producers may use specialized systems but still experience postharvest losses due to physiological deterioration, handling conditions, logistics, and market constraints. Therefore, this review summarizes the main postharvest physiological processes affecting fruits and vegetables and discusses their implications for knowledge transfer, technology adoption, and sustainability among local producers in Mexico. The review highlights that reducing postharvest losses requires commodity-specific management, continuous technical support, low-cost and locally adaptable technologies, and coordinated participation among researchers, extension personnel, producers, government institutions, industry, and market actors. Strengthening postharvest knowledge transfer to small and local producers is essential to reduce losses, improve marketability, and promote more sustainable fruit and vegetable systems in Mexico.

Source: Horticulturae

DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae12060747

Authors: Diana Patricia Uscanga-Sosa, María Bernardita Pérez-Gago, Adriana Contreras-Oliva, Juan Valente Hidalgo-Contreras, Josué Uriel Montaño-Martínez

Institutions: Colegio de Postgraduados, Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Córdoba, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias

Language: English

Topic: Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life Management

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Zero hunger, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,654