Page 26 - Agriculture Form Two

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

Depending on these factors, post-harvesting practices may include cleaning,
sorting/grading, cooling, processing, packaging, storage and marketing, as
discussed herein.

(i) Pre-cooling: Field heat for some crops, especially vegetables and fruits,
is usually high and undesirable at harvesting. They should be removed
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as quickly as possible before any post-harvesting handling activity. Pre-
cooling minimises the effect of microbial activity, metabolic activity,
respiration rate, and ethylene production. It also reduces the ripening rate,
water loss, and decay, thereby preserving quality and extending the shelf
life of harvested produce.
(ii) Cleaning or disinfection: Farmers and produce handlers must follow proper
cleaning and disinfection practices to prevent post-harvest diseases and
reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses being transmitted to consumers.
(iii) Sorting and grading: Sorting involves the removal of rotten, damaged, or
diseased fruits and vegetables from the healthy and clean ones. On the
other hand, grading is the process of categorising crop produce based on
parameters of desirable quality such as colour, size, stage of maturity, or
degree of ripening.
(iv) Packaging: This involves packing a crop produce to protect it from
mechanical injuries, tampering, and contamination from physical,
chemical, and biological sources. Packaging is also essential for efficiently
handling the produce into sizeable portions. However, using unsuitable
packaging materials can cause product damage, resulting in losses.
(v) Storage: The essence of storage is to extend a product’s shelf life and
provide continuity of the product supply in the market throughout the
year.
Note: The storage conditions, such as temperature and humidity, must be
maintained.
(vi) Transporting: Involves the movement of the produce/product from the
field to the storage structure or market. Most fresh produce, such as
fruits and vegetables, may require specialised refrigerated transportation
facilities to avoid deterioration.
(vii) Processing: Processing the food product may involve changing its form
into a form that will increase its shelf life. Depending on the nature and
form of the food products, processing practices may include drying,
canning and freezing. For example, grapes can be processed into wine,
cassava into chips, flour and starch and wheat into breads, muffins, pasta,
biscuits, cakes, cookies, and pastries.

18 Student’s Book Form Two

04/10/2024 18:07
Agriculture form 2.indd 18
Agriculture form 2.indd 18 04/10/2024 18:07