Postharvest food loss

The final word about risk-benefit is that the definitions of the risks and the benefits are not the same in all cases. The definition of benefit needs to be clear. For some countries, the benefit is reduced postharvest food losses. The value of this benefit can vary with the country involved. Different weights may be assigned if there is danger of severe food shortage versus simply an increase in the cost of the substance. Thus, the science and art of risk assessment are difficult because each step in the process is value laden. 

Zorya, S., Morgan, N., Rios, L.D., Hodges, R., Bennett, B., 2011. Missing Food The Case of Postharvest Grain Losses in Sub-Saharan Africa. The World Bank. 

Ethoxyquin, a synthetic antioxidant, is not generally allowed for human consumption in foods, but it is being added to animal feed and to fruits as an antiscald agent (94,143). Ethoxyquin is also used in the spice industry to prevent carotenoid loss during postharvest handling. However, ethoxyquin-treated paprika is unacceptable for some markets and some consumers (129). Perfetti et al. (130) described a method for determination of ethoxyquin in paprika and chili powder. Ethoxyquin was extracted from the spice with hexane and partitioned into 0.3 N HC1. After adjusting the solution to pH 13-14, ethoxyquin was extracted into hexane, and the hexane layer was evaporated to dryness. An acetonitrile solution of the residue was then analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC, with detection at 254 nm. The mobile phase was water/acetonitrile with ammonium acetate buffer. Recoveries from samples fortified at 50, 100, and 200 ppm averaged 92%, with a coefficient of variation of 2.3%. The method was applied to a number of commercial samples of paprika and chili powder. Ethoxyquin was found in paprika samples at levels up to 63 ppm and in chili powder samples at levels up to 20 ppm. 

One of the prime goals of food processing or preservation is to convert perishable foods snch as fruits and vegetables into stabilized products that can be stored for extended periods of time to reduce their postharvest losses. Processing extends the availability of seasonal commodities, retaining their nutritive and esthetic values, and adds variety to the otherwise monotonous diet. It adds convenience to the products. In particular it has expanded the markets of fruit and vegetable products and ready-to-serve convenience foods all over the world, the per capita consumption of which has rapidly increased during the past two to three decades. 

Kader AA. Increasing food availability by reducing post harvest losses of fresh produce. Proceedings of the 5th International Postharvest Symposium 2005. Available at http //ucce. ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/234-528.pdf. Accessed October 8, 2014. 

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