Perdas pós colheita de frutas e hortaliças em mercados da região de Bom Jesus do Itabapoana – RJ Post harvest losses of fruits and vegetables in markets in the region of Bom Jesus do Itabapoana - RJ

Abstract

ABSTRACT: It is known that fruits and vegetables are extremely important in the human diet because they bring numerous benefits and are rich in essential nutrients, but it is also known that in addition they present high perishability. Their losses are based on a range of 35% to 40% during the entire production stage until consumption. This work aimed to analyze and assist in the reduction of post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables in three market units residing in Bom Jesus do Itabapoana-RJ. The applied methodology was a questionnaire, elaborated with eight questions (both objective and discursive). The results of the following research were all recorded for their discussion, using the Tukey test at 5% significance, and it was possible to observe that the fruits/vegetables that obtained the most losses were: strawberry, banana, tomato and potato, respectively; having in common, in the three trades, the physical, microbiological and mechanical damage. With that, it is noted the importance that the manipulators and traders have knowledge about the physiology of these vegetables and are informed about their hygiene, transport and storage, in order to achieve an optimization in the entire production chain and adopt measures such as proper packaging and temperature control.

Key words: Waste, Productive chain, Quality control