Book on physiology, processing and packaging of tropical and subtropical fruits

Dr. Adel Kader has reviewed the book, published 2012, “Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Postharvest Physiology, Processing and Packaging”, edited by Muhammad Siddiq (editor), and Jasim Ahmed, Maria Gloria Lobo, and Ferhan Ozadali (associate editors): This book is written by 66 authors, including the four editors, who are experts in various aspects of postharvest physiology, processing and packaging of tropical and subtropical fruits. It is organized into 31 chapters that are grouped in five parts. Part I covers the following topics: Introduction and overview, Postharvest physiology and storage, Enzymes in quality and processing, Phytochemicals and bioactive compounds, Novel processing technologies, Quality management, and Current and innovative packaging technologies. Parts II to V cover tropical fruits (banana, coconut, dates, guava, longans and carambola, lychee, mango, papaya, passion fruit, and pineapple); subtropical fruits-citrus group (grapefruit, lemon and lime, oranges, tangerine, mandarin and clementine); subtropical fruits-noncitrus group (avocado, figs, kiwifruit, olives and olive oil, pomegranate, and watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew); and lesser known tropical and subtropical fruits (acerola, cashew apple, cherimoya, pitanga, dragon fruit, durian, jujube, and loquat. For each fruit species, the following topics are presented: current storage and shipping practices; shelf life extension and quality; microbial issues and food safety aspects of fresh-cut products; processing operations such as grading, cleaning, size-reduction, blanching, filling, canning, freezing, and drying; and effects of processing on nutrients and bioavailability. Overall, this book is a very good addition to reference books about tropical and subtropical fruits and is recommended for researchers, students, and fruit industry professionals. It can also be used as a textbook for an upper division undergraduate or graduate course on tropical and subtropical fruits if it is offered in a lower cost format (such as soft cover and/or electronic formats). Source:News from the UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center, August-September 2012, Brief Book Reviews