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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Applied ecology > Biodiversity
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Value Addition of Horticultural Crops: Recent Trends and Future Directions (Hardcover, 2015 ed.)
Loot Price: R4,754
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Value Addition of Horticultural Crops: Recent Trends and Future Directions (Hardcover, 2015 ed.)
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This book combines several ideas and philosophies and provides a
detailed discussion on the value addition of fruits, vegetables,
spices, plantation crops, floricultural crops and in forestry.
Separate chapters address the packaging, preservation, drying,
dehydration, total quality management and supply chain management
of horticultural crops. The book explains value addition as a
process of increasing the economic value and consumer appeal of a
commodity with special reference to horticultural crops. Each
chapter focuses on a specific area, exploring value addition as a
production/ marketing strategy driven by customer needs and
preferences. But, as such, it is also a more creative field,
calling for more imagination than calculated, routine work. Value
is added to the particular produce item when the product is still
available when the season is out and the demand for the product
exceeds the available supply. Value addition is an important factor
in the growth and development of the horticultural sector, both in
India and around the world. But very little information is
available on this particular aspect of horticulture. Albert
Einstein famously said, "Try not to become a man of success, but
rather try to become a man of value." This message is not only true
for those people who want to make more of themselves, but also for
those who want their creation or product in any form to excel. And
it certainly applies to horticultural crops, which are extremely
perishable. It is true that loss reduction is normally less costly
than equivalent increases in production. The loss of fresh produce
can be minimized by adopting different processing and preservation
techniques to convert the fresh vegetables into suitable
value-added and diversified products, which will help to reduce the
market glut during harvest season. Value-added processed products
are products that can be obtained from main products and
by-products after some sort of processing and subsequently marketed
for an increased profit margin. Generally speaking, value-added
products indicate that for the same volume of primary products, a
higher price is achieved by means of processing, packing, enhancing
the quality or other such methods. The integrated approach from
harvesting to the delivery into the hands of the consumer, if
handled properly, can add value to fresh produce on the market. But
most of the fresh produce has a limited life, although it can be
stored at appropriate temperature and relative humidity for the
same time. If such produce is processed just after harvesting, it
adds value and stabilizes the processed products for a longer time.
Preparing processed products will provide more variety to consumers
and improve the taste and other sensory properties of food. This
will also promote their fortification with nutrients that are
lacking in fresh produce. By adopting suitable methods for
processing and value addition, the shelf life of fresh produce can
be increased manifold, which supports their availability year-round
to a wider spectrum of consumers on both the domestic and
international market. With increased urbanization, rising middle
class purchasing power, changing food habits and a decline in
making preserved products in individual homes, there is now a
higher demand for industry-made products on the domestic market. In
spite of all these aspects, only 1-2.2% of the total produce is
processed in developing countries, as compared to 40-83% in
developed countries. The horticultural export industry offers an
important source of employment for developing countries. For
instance, horticulture accounts for 30% of India's agricultural GDP
from 8.5% of cropped area. India is the primary producer of spices,
second largest producer of fruits and vegetables and holds a
prominent position with regard to most plantation crops in the
world. The cultivation of horticultural crops is substantially more
labor-intensive than growing cereal crops and offers more
post-harvest opportunities for the development of value-added
products. This book offers a valuable guide for students of
horticulture, as well as a comprehensive resource for educators,
scientists, industrial personnel, amateur growers and farmers.
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