Fruit Moisture Research Articles

Development of Functional Composite Edible Films or Coatings for Fruits Preservation with Addition of Pomace Oil-Based Nanoemulsion for Enhanced Barrier Properties and Caffeine for Enhanced Antioxidant Activity.

The aim of this study was to develop functional composite edible films or coatings for fruit preservation by the addition of bioactive components in combinations that have not yet been thoroughly studied, according to the relevant literature. Edible films were initially composed of (i) chitosan (CH), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and beta-cyclodextrin (CD) (50%-37.5%-12.5% ratio), and (ii) hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and beta-cyclodextrin (CD) (50%-37.5%-12.5% ratio). The bioactive components incorporated (5, 10 and 15% v/v) were as follows: (i) pomace oil-based nanoemulsion (NE) aiming to enhance barrier properties, and (ii) caffeine (C), aiming to enhance the antioxidant activity of films, respectively. Indeed, NE addition led to very high barrier properties (low oxygen and water vapor permeability), increased flexibility and reduced color. Furthermore, the contribution of these coatings to fresh strawberries' preservation under cold storage was investigated, with very promising results concerning weight loss, color difference, and preservation of fruit moisture and quantity of O2 and CO2 inside the packages. Additionally, C addition led to very high antioxidant activity, reduced color and improved barrier properties. Finally, the contribution of these coatings to avocado's preservation under cold storage was investigated, with very encouraging results for color difference, hardness and peroxide value of the fruit samples.

Selected Physical, Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Fresh Fruit Bunches for Processing of Palm Oil

Data on engineering properties of palm fruits enable the design of machinery for optimal production of palm oil. Specific physical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics of fresh fruit bunches are examined in this study. Fresh palm fruit's selected mechanical, chemical, and physical characteristics were determined using standard formulas and equations. One hundred fresh fruit bunch samples were used to ascertain the physical characteristics of the fruit bunches. While the chemical properties were ascertained using suggested standard equations and formulae, the fresh fruit bunches were tested for their strength properties under compression when loaded under an INSTRON Universal Testing Machine. Using the Microsoft Excel program, statistical analysis was performed on the collected data. The average length, breadth, thickness, geometric mean, sphericity, surface area, true mass, true volume and true density mean for palm fruits were 3.35±0.48 cm, 1.92±0.32 cm, 2.24±0.33 cm, 2.42±0.25 cm, 0.73±0.08 cm, 18.61±3.62 cm2, 7.99±1.81 g, 7.01±1.72 cm3, 1.17±0.24 g/cm3 respectively. The average static coefficient of frictions for palm fruits were 0.46±0.13, 0.64±0.18, 0.57±0.21 and 0.59±0.22 while the average angle of reposes was 24.48±6.08, 31.62±9.14, 29.26±6.80, and 29.91±9.11 on wood, mild steel, glass and stainless-steel surface respectively. The energy at break, force at break, deformation at break, strain at break, and stress at break for the palm fruits were 6.87±0.95 J, 2.22±0.80 kN, 14.58±3.02 mm, 0.36±0.08 mm/mm and 123.46±44.31 MPa respectively. The moisture, ash, fat, crude fibre, crude protein, and carbohydrate contents (proximate composition) of the palm fruits were 22.80±0.02%, 0.52±0.01%, 46.47±0.06%, 18.66±0.01%, 2.4±0.21%, and 9.14±0.30% respectively. The sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and zinc contents of the palm fruits were 58.75±0.07 ppm, 94.20±0.14 ppm, 68.45±0.64 ppm, 5.21±0.00 ppm, 1.22±0.00 ppm, 1.60±0.00 ppm and 55.70±0.28 ppm respectively. This study has provided relevant information which will help engineers to develop a more efficient palm fruit extraction machines that will in turn increase the productivity and profitability of the farmers and food processors. These measured engineering properties of palm fruits help in development of palm fruit processing machines.

Exploring the relevance of the type of horizontal separator to optimize the extraction efficacy for the Arbequina variety.

The productivity of virgin olive oil depends not only on agronomic factors but also on the technological factors of the extraction process. The 'Arbequina' variety has extractability problems, which is a challenge for master millers anywhere. This work aims to evaluate the behavior of different decanters and seeks to modulate the effect of some processing parameters and their interactions with oil extraction efficiency in the case of 'Arbequina.' Fruit characteristics, processing parameters, and extractability were collected over 10 years from 38 decanters that belong to five different brands. The results have shown that fruit moisture is the most relevant factor for oil extractability, especially over 52%. Furthermore, extractability is positively correlated with malaxing temperature, addition of water, and total fat content in the fruit. However, the results show that before applying a regulation, the type of decanter must be considered. The model used in this study has allowed us to optimize the regulations for each type of decanter to reduce oil losses within the pomace, achieving an extraction efficiency within the range of 78%-91.5%. In fact, the best extraction efficiency results (91.5%) were obtained by processing at temperatures >26°C and water injection of 5%.

Visual analysis of sea buckthorn fruit moisture content based on deep image processing technology

The effect of moisture content changes during drying processing on the appearance of sea buckthorn was studied. Using computer vision methods and various image processing methods to collect and analyze images during the drying process of sea buckthorn fruit. Sea buckthorn is dried in a drying oven at a temperature of 65 °C and Level 1 wind speed conditions. The images of the entire drying process of sea buckthorn fruit were collected at 30-min intervals. Deep mining and transformation of image information through various image processing methods. By calibrating and modeling the color components, real-time online detection of the moisture content of sea buckthorn fruit can be achieved. After modeling, this article attempted to use LSTM (Long Short Term Memory) to predict the appearance of sea buckthorn fruit with supercritical moisture content. Different agricultural products adapt to different color spaces, but after standard modeling with a certain amount of data, applying color components to detect moisture content is a very good method.

Olive Performance under the Soil Application of Humic Acid and the Spraying of Titanium and Zinc Nanoparticles under Soil Salinity Stress

Salinity is a major social, economic, and environmental menace in climates with low rainfall and high evapotranspiration, and it influences plant growth and causes restriction to crop production in the world. Additionally, under salinity stress, numerous physiological processes such as photosynthesis, biomass accumulation, and photosynthate transfer are also harshly lessened, and it also limits the absorption of adequate water by plants and leads to a dimension in plant water status. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the soil application of humic acid (HA) at 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg/tree alone or in combination with the foliar spraying of 0 mg ZnO2 + 0 mg TiO2, 200 mg ZnO2 + 60 mg TiO2 and/or 300 mg ZnO2 + 80 mg TiO2 through the two successive seasons 2022 and 2023. The results demonstrated that the use of HA alone or in combination with the spraying of TiO2 and ZnO2 greatly improved the leaf chlorophyll, flower number, fruit set percentages, fruit yields in kg or in ton per hectare, fruit weight, fruit size, and fruit firmness. Additionally, the same used treatments greatly improved the fruit content from TSS and oil percentages and also the leaf mineral content from N, P and K, while they minimized the fruit drop percentage and fruit moisture content as compared to control. The most positive influence was observed with the soil implementation of 2 kg HA combined with 300 mg ZnO2 + 80 mg TiO2 in the two experimental seasons.

Effects of Gibberellin on Physical and Chemical Quality of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) Fresh Fruit Bunches

The quality of crude palm oil (CPO) is influenced by the quality of fresh fruit bunches, crop culture, and postharvest handling. A delay in fruit processing can cause physical damages to the fresh fruit bunches. Gibberellic acid (GA3) can potentially reduce the physical damage due to delayed processing of the fresh fruit bunches. Our study aims to determine how GA3 affects the physical and chemical quality of oil palm fresh fruit bunches. The fresh fruit bunch samples were collected from the IPB-Cargill Palm Oil Education and Research, Jonggol, Bogor, Indonesia. This study used a randomized complete block design that consisted of four concentrations of GA3: 0, 12.5, 25 and 37.5 ppm. GA3 application reduced fruit loss, respiration rate, and maintain fruit moisture and firmness, increased the oil content, and stabilize the free fatty acid content. GA3 concentration of 12.5 ppm is the optimal concentration. Based on the correlation analysis, fruit softness has a strong correlation with free fatty acids.

Biochemical Changes during Fruit and Seed Development in Nanjing Linden (Tilia miqueiana M.)

In China, the wild population of Nanjing Linden (Tilia miqueliana M.) is experiencing a drastic decline, primarily due to high levels of empty seeds. This study aimed to measure the biochemical and physiological changes during fruit and seed development in T. miqueliana to determine the developmental mechanism. The weight method and photosynthetic respiration were used to determine the biological aspects of both fruits and embryos, while transmission electron microscopy and the anthrone colorimetric method were used to determine the endosperm content, including sugar, starch, protein, and fat. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were conducted to determine the levels of endogenous plant hormones such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid 3 (GA3), zeatin riboside (ZR), and abscisic acid (ABA). The nonlinear least-squares method was used to fit the model of nutrient and hormone levels, revealing that fruit size expanded from the 5th to the 65th day and that fruit moisture content exhibited a downward trend, along with a decrease in fruit respiration intensity. Embryos were found to be fully developed between 35 DAF and 65 DAF, while the nutrients in the endosperm, i.e., sugar, starch, protein, and fat, continuously accumulated after 50 DAF. Additionally, ABA, IAA, GA3, and ZR contents were found to synergistically regulate seed development and maturation.

Avocado fruit sorting by hyperspectral images

The paper shows the use of the methods of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in a range of 400–1000 nm and multivariate analysis for sorting Hass avocado fruits. The decomposition of the data matrix of HSIs of avocado fruits was carried out using the principle component analysis. The reflection bands in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions interrelated with the process of maturation and the moisture content of avocado fruits were revealed. It has been established that visualization upon avocado inline sorting by moisture is possible when using factor loadings as pseudo-color. Calibration models for determination of moisture and dry matter of avocado fruits were built based on the data of moisture measurement and hyperspectral images. The matrix of spectral data was formed by two methods: random selection of spectral signatures of HSIs from the whole surface of fruits or the image surface of HSIs of fruits (initial HSIs) as a region of interest (ROI). Based on the data of moisture measurement and selection of spectral signatures of hyperspectral images, calibration models were built for detection of moisture and dry matter of avocado fruits. Using sequential simulation by the projection to latent structures (PLS) method, accurate calibration models were developed to detect moisture (RP2 = 0.89) and dry matter (RP2 = 0.92) in the composition of avocado fruits. When building calibration models by the initial HSIs, models were obtained to predict moisture (RС2 = 0.99) and dry matter (RС2 = 0.99) in the composition of avocado fruits. It is proposed to use calibration models by the initial HSIs to determine moisture and dry matter in the intervals of the acceptable values according to the acting standard UNECE STANDARD FFV-42:2019.

PENGGUNAAN KOMPOSISI MEDIA TANAM ARANG SEKAM, COCOPEAT DAN ZEOLIT PADA SISTEM IRIGASI TETES TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL TANAMAN MELON

The right planting medium will help produce good growth and yields. The purpose of this study was to determine the use of planting media using a drip irrigation system on the growth and yield of melon plants. The research method used was experimental using Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL). Treatment in this study consisted of P1 (chaff charcoal and cocopeat), P2 (cocopeat and zeolite), and P3 (husk charcoal and zeolite) with a composition of 50%:50%. Results showed that there was an effect of using cocopeat, husk charcoal, and zeolite planting media on the number of leaves, stem diameter, fruit weight, fruit water content, level of fruit sweetness, and plant height. Cocopeat and zeolite (50%:50%) growing media gave the best growth and yield, tem diameter with a final thickness of 11mm, the final number of leaves was 42 leaves, average fruit weight was 1.3kg, the highest fruit moisture content was 92% and level of sweetness highest 15 brix.

Maturation and harvest time of Ateleia glazioveana Baill. seeds.

Ateleia glazioveana Baill. is a pioneer, rustic and can be used for forest recovery. This work aimed to study the process of physiological maturation of this species. The research was carried out in the city of Alegre - ES, the trees were identified in the floral anthesis and accompanied during the filling of the fruits and development of the seeds until the complete maturation. The fruits were harvested at the following stages 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days after anthesis, and characterized according to: morphometry, moisture, fresh and dry mass of fruits and seeds, germination, germination speed index, shoot and root length and dry mass of seedlings. The regression equations were adjusted for the main characteristics analyzed as a function of the harvest period. The point of physiological maturity of timbó occurred at 42 days after anthesis.

Physiological and transcriptome analyses of the effects of excessive water deficit on malic acid accumulation in apple.

Acidity is a determinant of the organoleptic quality of apple, whereas its regulatory mechanism under water stress remains obscure. Fruit from apple 'Yanfu 3' of Fuji trees grown under normal water irrigation (CK), excessive water deficit treatment (DRT) and excessive water irrigation treatment (WAT) were sampled at 85, 100, 115, 130, 145, 160 and 175days after full bloom designated stages S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 and S7, respectively. DRT treatment reduced the individual fruit weight and fruit moisture content, and increased fruit firmness. The malate content of DRT treatment was higher than that of CK and WAT from stages S1 to S7. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of the transcriptome at stages S4, S6 and S7 indicated that malate anabolism was associated with cysteine and methionine, auxin signaling, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate and pyruvate metabolism. Overexpression of MdPEPC4 increased the malate content in apple calli induced by 4% PEG. Our study provides novel insights into the effects of water stress on the molecular mechanism underlying apple fruit acidity.

BIOCHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES OF SOME FIG (FICUS CARICA L.) GENOTYPES GROWN IN THE SOUTH-WEST REGION OF ROMANIA

The aim of this paper is to make a brief characterization of some fig genotypes based on their biochemical composition. Fruit moisture, sugar content, total phenolic content (TPC) and macro/micronutrient content were determined for 14 fig genotypes from the South-West region of Romania. The fruit moisture values varied between 75.16 % and 84.68 % and the sugar content ranged between 18.15 % and 28.90 %. It was found that the dark skinned figs had the highest TPC (109.11 mg GAE/100g FW in S1 genotype), compared to the light skinned ones (14.64 mg GAE/100g FW in L1 genotype). Calcium and potassium were found to be the predominant macronutrients, followed by magnesium and phosphorus. Sodium, iron and zinc were found to be the most abundant micronutrients in the studied fig fruits.

Effect of regulated deficit irrigation and partial root zone drying regimes on the shelf life of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivar Dashehari

A two-year study was undertaken in the Division of Fruit Science, SKUAST-J, to examine the effect of differential irrigation regimes as pre-harvest treatments (regulated deficit irrigation and partial root-zone drying) on the shelf life of mango grown in open field conditions. Maximum physiological weight loss (21.06% and 21.10%) and decay loss (51.00% and 52.20%) was recorded under treatment T10 (no irrigation) whereas, minimum was recorded in treatment T9. The fruit moisture was recorded maximum in T7 (77.46 % and 77.72 %) whereas T10 recorded minimum (70.55% and 70.83%) fruit moisture during 2017 and 2018, respectively. Both years recorded maximum fruit firmness in T9 (21.62 and 22.47 lb/in2) and minimum in T10 (14.61 and 15.46 lb/in2). On a mean value basis maximum fruit moisture content and fruit firmness was recorded on 0 day of storage which decreased significantly and continuously upto 10th the day of storage. In contrast, minimum PLW content was recorded on 2nd day of storage which increased significantly and constantly up to 10th the day of storage and minimum decay loss content was recorded on 6th day of storage which increased significantly and continuously upto 10th the day of storage during 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Effects of Harvest Maturity on the Fruit Quality of Different Flesh-Type Peach Stored at Near-Freezing Point Temperature.

To investigate the peach fruit flesh types (soft-melting, hard-melting, stonyhard and non-melting) and harvest maturity level suitable for near-freezing temperature storage (NFTS), eight peach cultivars that had four flesh types were used as test materials. Changes in fruit respiration intensity and ethylene release rates, as well as the differences in quality indexes, such as soluble solids content (SSC), firmness, color difference, pigment content, soluble sugar and organic acid component content, of three fruit maturity levels (70%, 80% and 90% maturity) under NFTS conditions were analyzed and compared. The fruit quality indexes of peach having different maturity levels and flesh types changed little during NFTS. The SSC and total sugar content of hard-melting and stonyhard peach fruit were higher than those of other flesh types during NFTS. Those fruit maintained greater firmness at the end of the storage period. The differences in respiration intensity and ethylene release rate were small, but for fruit coloring, hard-melting fruit performed better than stonyhard fruit. The 80%, compared with the 90%, maturity stage maintained more fruit moisture, had less fruit mass loss and maintained a greater edible firmness. It effectively impeded the fruit senescence process and was the most suitable maturity for NFTS. Thus, the hard-melting peach maintained the highest commercial value and desirable storage characteristics under NFTS conditions, and its 80% maturity level was the most suitable for NFTS.

Chitosan: A Sustainable Material for Multifarious Applications.

Due to the versatility of its features and capabilities, chitosan generated from marine crustacean waste is gaining importance and appeal in a wide variety of applications. It was initially used in pharmaceutical and medical applications due to its antibacterial, biocompatible, and biodegradable properties. However, as the demand for innovative materials with environmentally benign properties has increased, the application range of chitosan has expanded, and it is now used in a variety of everyday applications. The most exciting aspect of the chitosan is its bactericidal properties against pathogens, which are prevalent in contaminated water and cause a variety of human ailments. Apart from antimicrobial and water filtration applications, chitosan is used in dentistry, in water filtration membranes to remove metal ions and some heavy metals from industrial effluents, in microbial fuel cell membranes, and in agriculture to maintain moisture in fruits and leaves. It is also used in skin care products and cosmetics as a moisturizer, in conjunction with fertilizer to boost plant immunity, and as a bi-adhesive for bonding woods and metals. As it has the capacity to increase the life span of food items and raw meat, it is an unavoidable component in food packing and preservation. The numerous applications of chitosan are reviewed in this brief study, as well as the approaches used to incorporate chitosan alongside traditional materials and its effect on the outputs.

Yerel Zeytin Çeşitlerindeki Pomolojik Değişimlerin Farklı Hasat Zamanlarında Belirlenmesi

Olive (Olea europaea L.) is an important oil producing fruit species and it has been cultivated since ancient times. Turkey is rich in local olive varieties and it is necessary to determine their pomological parameters. The aim of the present study was to determine the pomological characteristics of five olive varieties (Çekişte, Memecik, Yamalak sarısı, Eşek zeytini, Gemlik) at five harvest periods (H1-H5) throughout the fruit development period. Olives were collected from an orchard in Aydın at monthly intervals between July and November 2019. During fruit development and ripening, 10 pomological variables (fruit width and length, seed width and length, fruit and seed weight, flesh weight, flesh/seed ratio, flesh firmness and fruit moisture content) were measured. All pomological variables exhibited significant differences between harvest periods and varieties. While fruit ripening indices of the varieties increased over time, level of change differed among the varieties. During fruit ripening of olive varieties, fruit length and width, fruit weight, seed length and width, fruit flesh weight and flesh/seed ratio increased significantly, while flesh firmness and fruit water contents decreased. Seed weight increased between H1-H3 periods, but it did not show a significant change at the later stages of fruit development. These results show that important physiological changes occur starting from the pit hardening of the olive varieties and continue throughout the fruit growth and ripening.

Methodology for Olive Fruit Quality Assessment by Means of a Low-Cost Multispectral Device

The standard methods for determining the quality of olives involve chemical methods that are time-consuming and expensive. These limitations lead growers to homogeneous harvesting based on subjective criteria such as intuition and visual decisions. In recent times, precision agriculture techniques for fruit quality assessment, such as spectroscopy, have been introduced. However, they require expensive equipment, which limit their use to olive mills. This work presents a complete methodology based on a new low-cost multispectral sensor for assessing quality parameters of intact olive fruits. A set of 507 olive samples were analyzed with the proposed device. After data pre-processing, artificial neural network (ANN) models were trained using the 18 reflectance signals acquired by the sensor as input and three olive quality indicators (moisture, acidity, and fat content) as targets. The responses of the ANN models were promising, reaching coefficient-of-determination values of 0.78, 0.86, and 0.62 for fruit moisture, acidity, and fat content, respectively. These results show the suitability of the proposed device for assessing the quality status of intact olive fruits. Its performance, along with its low cost and ease of use, paves the way for the implementation of an olive fruit quality appraisal system that is more affordable for olive growers.

Effect of Plant Spacing and Growth Regulator on Quality and Quantity of Mosambi Fruit Under Drip Irrigation

A field experiment was managed at the Water Management Research Farm, Renala Khurd, Pakistan to check the effect of the plant to plant spacing (3×3, 5×5, 7×7) and growth regulator (Isabion) on the quantity and quality of citrus fruit (Mosambi) under drip irrigation. The trail was arranged into a split-plot outline with six treatments under three blocks. Two foliar sprays were carried out at 40 days gap in September and November 2020. After 4 to 5 days of second foliar spray, data were collected. The results revealed that plant growth regulator isabion was more effective in improving plant traits like no. of fruits and leaf area in mosambi and plant to plant spacing only improved one plant trait, plant height. However, fruit weight was not affected by both plant to plant spacing and growth regulator treatments compared to control. The fruit quality analysis results showed that carbohydrate, vitamin, moisture and fat contents of mosambi fruits were increased by both plant to plant spacing and growth regulator treatments, while the increase in protein content was not found. In our study, plant growth regulator appeared to be more effective for improving plant traits while fruit traits were equally affected by both plant-plant spacing and growth regulator. In the future, both plant to plant spacing and growth regulator should be considered to improve citrus plant growth and fruit yield.

Karakterizacija genetičkih resursa paradajza u funkciji oplemenjivanja

Tomato is one of the most important species belonging to the Solanaceae family. Focusing on the importance of tomato in human nutrition and the problem of narrowed genetic variability, the aim of the study was to assess morphological and chemical diversity in IFVCNS germplasm collection. Twenty genotypes were analysed for the morphological and chemical fruit traits: average mass (g), length (cm), diameter (cm), pericarp thickness (mm), locules number, moisture content (%), total soluble solids (°Brix), ash content (%), total acidity (%) and pH value. Selected plant material for analysis included: landraces, traditional varieties, breeding lines and commercial varieties. Differences among tomato genotypes in all fruit traits were determined. Fruit mass and locules number had the highest coefficient of variation. The least differences between genotypes were observed in the fruit moisture content. Four principal components accounted for 90.6% of total variance or 36.5%, 24.2%, 19.8% and 10.1%, respectively. Along the axis of the first main component, genotypes were classified into three groups. The first component was defined by fruit length, diameter and mass. The second component was correlated with pericarp thickness and locules number, and the third with moisture content, ash content and total soluble solids. Based on the cluster analysis, genotypes were classified into three groups which were in agreement with the PCA groups. Hybridization between genotypes from different groups was proposed in order to create new hybrids and varieties and to increase tomato germplasm diversity. By crossing those genotypes, improved recombinations in morphological and chemical traits can be expected.

Wi-Fruit

People usually assess fruit qualities from external features such as color, shape, size, and texture. However, it is quite common that we select fruits with perfect appearances but rotten inside, especially for fruits with thick pericarps. Thus the accurate measurement is desirable to evaluate the internal conditions of fruits. As two key features of fruit internal qualities, existing methods on measuring fruit moisture and soluble solid contents (SSC) are either destructive or costly, limiting their adoption in daily life. In this paper, we propose Wi-Fruit, a non-destructive and low-cost fruit moisture and SSC measurement system leveraging Wi-Fi channel state information (CSI). First, to cope with the fruit structure dependency challenge, we propose a double-quotient model to pre-process CSI on adjacent antennas. Second, to address the fruit size and type dependency challenges, a lightweight artificial neural network (ANN) model with visual information fusion is proposed for fruit moisture and SSC estimations. Extensive evaluations are conducted on 6 types of fruits with both thick (i.e., watermelon and grapefruit) and thin pericarps (i.e., dragon fruit, apple, pear, and orange) over a month in either an empty laboratory room or a library with massive books. Results demonstrate that Wi-Fruit achieves an acceptable estimation accuracy (RMSE=0.319). It is independent of various fruit structures, sizes, and types, while also robust to time and environmental changes. The fruit internal sensing capabilities of Wi-Fruit can help fruit saving and safety in both pre-harvest and post-harvest applications.