Many edible plants considered exotic in the Western world are actually quite mainstream in other cultures. While some of these plants are only encountered in ethnic food markets or during travels to foreign lands, many are now finding their way onto supermarket shelves. Top 100 Exotic Food Plants provides comprehensive coverage of tropical and semi

With contributions by numerous experts

Tropical and subtropical fruits are becoming more important food items in countries where they are produced and also in an increasing number of importing countries in non-tropical zones. For many of the countries where they are grown these crops represent one of the primary ways of earning valuable foreign exchange. In the last few years, fruit production in most tropical and subtropical countries of the world has increased substantially, and most of the fruits grown in these regions now have established and growing markets in North America and Europe. The transport of tropical and subtropical fruits from areas of production to markets in temperate zones raises particular postharvest storage issues, while postharvest losses in the tropics themselves can be considerable. Whilst there are several texts addressing the postharvest needs of temperate fruits, there has not until now been a comprehensive volume dealing with tropical and subtropical fruits. This volume is the first book to deal with the postharvest storage, physiology and conservation of all of the economically important tropical and subtropical fruits. Contributors include leading research workers from throughout the world, including Europe, North, Central and South America, Australia, New Zealand, East and Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The resultant work represents a substantial contribution to this important and fast developing area. The book is essential reading for all horticultural researchers and students working with these crops and for growers, exporters and importers within the industries concerned with tropical and subtropical fruits.

Overview of the problems: Tropical fruits: the social, political, and economic Issues; Quality assurance: a total approach; An economic evaluation of postharvest tropical fruit research: some preliminary results; Regulations and quarantine in international trade; Session summary; Marketing of tropical fruits: Prospects for marketing tropical fruits in Asia; Trends and changes in the european market for tropical fruits and their impact on technological requirements; Postharvest handling of avocado, mango, and lychee for export from south Africa; The market for tropical fruits in Japan; Diagnosing the causes of outturn problems in imported tropical fruits; Harvesting, processing, and transportation: When to harvest-maturity standards versus harvesting indices (abstract only); Fruit packing house operations to improve returns; Fruit handling systems in developing countries; Impact and vibration damage to fruit during handling and transportation; Minimal processing of tropical fruits; Session summary; Postharvest diseases and disorders: Control of postharvest diseases of tropical fruits: challenges for the 21 st. century: Infection processes of colletotrichum species in subtropical and tropical fruits; Preharvest fungicidal sprays for postharvest disease control in fruits; A review of biological control of postharvest diseases of subtropical fruits; Sulfur dioxide fumigation in postharvest handling of fresh longan and lychee for export; Session summary; Storage and ripening: Tropical fruit physiology and storage potential; Biochemical and molecular approaches to fruit ripening and senescence; Calcium an fruit storage potential; Postharvest water relations in horticultural crops: principles and problems; Modified and controlled atmosphere storage of tropical fruits; New developments in modified atmosphere packaging and surface coatings for fruits; Preharvest effects on postharvest quality of subtropical and tropical fruits; Session summary; Disinfestation of tropical fruits: Quarantine disinfestation of tropical fruits: non-chemical options; Heat disisfestation of mangoes: effect on fruit quality and disease control; Preharvest fruit fly control: strategies for the tropics; Disinfestation: effect of non-chemical treatments on market quality of fruit; Proposed standardisation of protocols for quarantine treatment of fruit; Session summary; Contributed poster papers: Overview issues: Postharvest studies on some tropical and subtropical fruits in Pakistan; Potential of value-added fruit products in Papua New Guinea; The economic potential of interventions to reduce postharvest losses of tropical fruits and nuts in Papua New Guinea; Aspects of marketing tropical fruits in temperate climates; A multivariate factor analysis of consumer preference on banana attributes; Maturity assessment: Determination of maturity indices for Sri Lankan embul bananas; Development of maturity indices for longan; Maturation and harvesting criteria for avocado (abstract only); Disinfestation and primary processing: Postharvest handling and quarantine of tropical fruit in the Jiangmen region of Guangdon, China; Effects of gamma irradiation and hot-water treatment on the shelf life and quality of Thai Mango cv. rad; Effect of irradiation and storage tempeature on the shelf life and quality of Thai licheee; Insect qurantine treatments and fruit ripening; Microwaves as a quarantine treatment to disinfest commodities of pests; Effect of pH and sugar concentration on apple cider quality; Osmotic dehydration of membrane-coated pineapple; Anti-fruit-fly activity of extracts of black pepper and other edible plants; The potential use of insecticidal atmospheres for mango, avocado, and papaya fruits; Preliminary investigation of microrganisms antagonistic to colletotrichum gloeosporioides obtained from rambutan; Electron beam irradiation combined with hot-water immersion treatment for banana preservation (abstract only); Fruit fly problem and disinfestation research in Malaysia (abstract only); Storage and ripening: Internal quality analysis of watermelons by and acoustic technique and its application in Japan; Feasibility studies into NIR technique for meassurement of internal quality of some tropical fruits; Distribution of mineral in Alphonso mango during ripening; Effect of calcium on physicochemical changes in Alphonso mango during ripening and storage; A low-cost cool chamber: an innovative technology for developing countries; Effect of low temperatures on storage life and quality of carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.)cv. B17; Incidence of chilling injury in Salacca zalacca; Internal carbon dioxide and ethylene of avocado fruit (Persea americana Mill.) measured by equilibrium technique; Effects of plantation and postharvest management factors on shelf life of ' Williams' banana; Optimisation of indigenous ripening systems for bananas in the Philippines; Fundamental studies on respiration rates and storage properties of some tropical fruits grown on Okinawa; Reducing decay and extending shelf life of bell-peppers and mangoes by modified atmosphere packaging; Modified atmosphere storage of bananas at chilling temperatures; Storage of fresh pineapples; The effect of sucrose ester coating on ambient temperature storage of several fruits; Effects of different precooling methods and times on the storage quality of carambola variety B10; Effect of maturity, damage, and humidity on the ripening of plantain and cooking banana; Modified atmosphere packaging by perforated polymeric film and its effect on physical properties of mango fruit; Productivity and postharvest behaviour of black sapote in the Israeli Negev desert (abstract only); Storage and ripening of Kenyan mangoes (Abstracts only); The storage of sapodilla (Manilkara achras L.) at 10, 15, and 20 o. C (abstract only); Factors influencing the ripening of 'chanee' and 'monthong' durians (abstract only); Effects of ethylene application on fruit postharvest characteristics of cucumis metuliferus Mey. (abstract only); Postharvest diseases and disorders: Mango postharvest disease control: effect of rain at harvest, fungicide treatments, and fruit brushing on fruit appearance; Sour rot diesease on citrus fruits: importance and control; Hot-water control of anthracnose on mango varietis arumanis, golek and manalagi; Efficacy of propiconazole against fungi causing postharvest disease on eksotika papaya; Freckle disease of banana; Phytophthora fruit rot of durian (Durio zibethinus L.); Postharvest fruit rot o banana caused by colletotrichum musae (Berg. & Curt.)Arx. and its control; Application of candida guilliermondii in commercial citrus waxes for biocontrol of penicillium on grapefruit; Phomopsis fruit rot of mango and its control; Management of 'jelly-seed' in mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv.Tommy Atkins (abstract only); Session summaries-contributed poster papers: Workshop reports: Controlled atmospheres/modified atmospheres; Postharvest physiology; Disinfestation; Diseases; Biocontrol of diseases; Molecular biology; Trade and marketing; Education and training; Research network on tropical fruit trees in Asia.