Post Harvest & Food Security
Post harvest losses can drastically impact food security. UPL’s post-harvest solutions have been saving thousands of tonnes of food from destruction globally and are recognized amongst the most effective.
Post harvest losses can drastically impact food security. UPL’s post-harvest solutions have been saving thousands of tonnes of food from destruction globally and are recognized amongst the most effective.
UPL is determined to reduce food loss caused by pests, diseases and improper storage practices. UPL QUICKPHOS™ is a potent fumigant. The active ingredient of UPL MAGNAPHOS™ is an ammonia-free formulation utilising a fast-gas release action. UPL QuickPHlo-R™ is ideal for state-of-the-art application technologies patented in most countries. UPL’s Decco is the only player with a global presence providing a complete range of fruit coating products, storage solutions, services and equipment.
Cereal crops and roots crops account for about 30% and 20% post harvest losses respectively. UPL provides simple, effective and safe solutions to protect grains and change this reality.
UPL QUICKPHOS, coupled with its principal ingredient Aluminium Phosphide, is a solid potent fumigant in tablet, pellet and bag presentation. QUICKPHOS may be used for the fumigation of raw agricultural commodities, animal feed and feed ingredients, processed foods and certain other nonfood items.
UPL MAGNAPHOS’ active ingredient comprises of Magnesium Phosphide with a palate of its ammonia-free formulation. Fast-gas release is its most popular presentation. It’s a versatile fumigant for use on stored raw agricultural commodities, processed foods, animal feed and feed ingredients..
UPL system QuickPHlo-R is ideal in state-of-the-art application technologies and is under patent in most countries.
45% of all fruit and vegetables are thrown away. UPL’s Decco with its range of specialty fruit coatings and storage products provides solutions for increasing shelf life. It also prevents damage during packaging and transportation. In several countries, Decco has also developed equipment solutions with teams of mechanical representatives available to assist you with your packing needs.
Solutions portfolio:Coatings, cleaners, sanitizers, fungicides, growth regulators and antiscald.
High quality coatings for postharvest use on citrus,pome fruit,stone fruit,tropical fruits,vegetables
Provides assistance with residue analysis,fungicide concentrations,monitoring of decay causing spore populations,and resistance management.
Storage Treatment: Insure the quality of pome fruit and potatoes during and after long term storage.
High-quality formulations of Imazalil and Thiabendizole and SOPP.
Products developed from decades of extensive research.
The goal of post-harvest science is to maintain all the texture, flavour, appearance and healthiness of produce for as long as is necessary. We are constantly striving to improve our formulations, products and equipment services and invest substantial R&D resources. In our produce rooms we simulate all type of conditions that may exist in packing and storage areas to validate our results.
Decco FullCover is an innovative electrostatic application system that permits the application of very low volumes of fruit coatings. It ensures that fruit sensitive to water based coatings, such as kiwis, avocados, berries and plums, can be treated to extend the commercial life, reducing the cost of wastage and increasing the profitability of each harvest.
Decco NaturCover is a formula that contains a base of natural extracts that protects fruit against dehydration and maintains its natural appearance for a long time. It is the ideal coating to maintain the healthy appearance of fruit and the firmness of its pulp. It is expected to be certified shortly for use on organic crops.
Decco ArcAqua is a patented technology for the release of ozone in water based solutions. It is an essential tool to ensure food safety in packing houses.
Guide to Best Post Harvest Practices
When it comes to harvesting crops, attention needs to be paid at all stages of crop production right from the sowing the seeds, providing the right nutrition to the crops, post-harvest measures, to selling the produce at the distribution centres.
What is Post-harvest?
Post-harvest refers to the activities after harvest that ensures the preservation of commodities in terms of safety, quality and quantity. This would include handling, storage and transportation of agricultural commodities.
Post-harvest has to be completed in a defined time-frame since the crop starts deteriorating post-separation from the parent plant. This stage of crop production is vital since the final quality of the product, whether it is for direct consumption or being used as a raw material for processed foods, depends on it.
There are leading players in the post-harvest solutions space like Decco that ensure no compromise in crop quality by using high-grade coatings, fungicides, growth regulators, sanitizers, and anti-scald. Decco also provides equipment solutions for packing in some countries.
Services provided by Decco include residue analysis, fungicide residue monitoring, weight loss studies, and tank concentrations. Decco has a team of technical experts in post-harvest methods. Additional services you can expect from Decco are spore trials, IPM programs, and resistance management.
Importance of Food Security and Grain Storage
There is a direct connection between post-harvest management and food security. When there are post-harvest losses due to mismanagement, you have food loss and wastage, leading to lower food security. This results in a chain reaction with an adverse effect on farmer's incomes since they lose a sizeable percentage of their yield due to degradation of quality. Farmers with small landholdings are the worst affected, suffering changes in their livelihood as they are unable to meet the needs of their families.
Mismanagement during post-harvest also produces low-quality crops due to mould, insects, and debris. These contaminants pose a danger to consumers due to the presence of substances like aflatoxin and ochratoxin.
There are two types of storage methods, temporary and long-term. Temporary storage yields the best results when the grain is kept post the drying period. The three types of temporary storage methods are aerial storage, ground or drying-floor based storage, and open timber platforms.
Long-term storage methods include storage baskets or cribs, calabashes or earthenware pots, clay jars, solid wall bins or silos made of mud or clay, and underground storage pits. Storage baskets or cribs are used in humid countries. Underground storage pits are found in the drier regions of India, Turkey and parts of Africa.
The best grain storage solution in developing countries is metal silos. Metal silos protect crops from storage insect pests. These are made from galvanized iron sheets and have hermetic sealing making these storage solutions airtight.
A roadblock for widespread usage of metal silos in developing countries is high procurement costs, leading to food grains stored in temporary alternatives like cover and plinth or leasing warehouses. It is also important to decentralize storage and use a PPP model for creating storage facilities through the BOT or build operate transfer basis. With private sector participation, there would be higher competition and lower storage costs.
There are hermetic storage bags that are long-term solutions and don't require fumigants. These bags have ultraviolet resistant PVC membranes that are airtight and provide protection against light. The grains get a natural and unpolluted environment.
Fumigants are gas-based pesticides used for pest control. Post-harvest solution providers like Decco have potent fumigants containing aluminium phosphide pest control in animal feed, raw agricultural products and processed foods.
The process of using fumigants to protect crops from pests is known as fumigation. Pests account for a major part of post-harvest losses.
Some fumigants that are ammonia-free formulations ensure fast-gas release. With the advancement in technology, atmospheric gases are replacing man-made gases for controlled atmosphere treatments organically. The preferred atmospheric gas for stored products and grains is carbon dioxide, though they are now being used for fresh commodities as well. For this reason, carbon dioxide comes under the category of natural or organic fumigants.
DISCLAIMER
“UPL and its subsidiaries have made every attempt to ensure accuracy of the information provided on this website. However, this is a global webpage with access to different geographies for wider reach and greater awareness of UPL. In the course of doing the same, UPL has used Weglot translator plugin to cover the language of this website from English to select regional languages.
UPL therefore, does not accept any responsibility or liability on the nature, standard or the accuracy of the translation and cannot take responsibility for any type of inaccurate contextual meaning in the event of a mismatch from English to a regional language.”
