Postharvest heat treatments: introduction and workshop summary

Abstract

Wide international interest in heat treatments for maintenance of postharvest quality, disease control, and as a quarantine technology, was reflected in the range of papers presented at this BARD Workshop on Postharvest Heat Treatments. Heat treatments are currently used commercially in several countries, for example as hot water dips, hot water brushing techniques, and hot air treatments. Research is continuing on these methods, on new techniques, and on the responses to high temperature treatments of fruit and vegetables, fungal pathogens, and insects. It was therefore timely that a workshop devoted to heat treatments should be held, and appropriate that it should be held in Israel, where much of the recent research has been conducted. This Special Issue of Posthar6est Biology & Technology comprises both review and research articles, based on papers given at the Workshop. Since substantial time was set aside for discussions, we have assembled this summary paper, covering some of the highlights, some of the gaps, and some speculation regarding the future.