Innovative Packaging of Fruits and Vegetables ― Strategies for Safety and Quality Maintenance

This forthcoming volume, Innovative Packaging of Fruits and Vegetables: Strategies for Safety and Quality Maintenance, addresses the challenges of the short shelf-life of fruits and vegetables. Innovative packaging technologies are the most promising strategies for overcoming these limitations. The book will provide a host of sustainable packaging solutions that deliver protection, branding, consumer attractiveness, and speed to market in a competitive retail environment.

Many new packaging technologies were developed to maintain the quality and freshness of the products, thus extending the shelf-life, reducing the food losses, and facilitating commercialization and export. Extending the shelf life by just three to four days by using an innovative packaging prevents large amounts of these perishables from spoiling during transportation and handling. When stored in an optimal atmosphere, their metabolism slows down, thus the produce remains fresh and crunchy.

Innovative packaging solutions include gas controllers that can be incorporated in the packaging materials to delay senescence. Intelligent packaging, such as freshness or time-temperature indicators, monitors product quality and safety and enhances the marketing of the packaged fruits and vegetables. These new technologies require specific knowledge and appropriate training/understanding for rational in selecting the most suitable packaging for each product and intended use.

Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Scientist in the Department of Food Science and Post-Harvest Technology at Bihar Agricultural University in Sabour, India, and is the author or co-author of many peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers. He has several edited and one authored books to his credit. Recently, Dr. Siddiqui has established an international peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Postharvest Technology. He is also Editor-in-Chief of a book series titled Postharvest Biology and Technology, published by Apple Academic Press. Dr. Siddiqui is also an Acquisitions Editor for Horticultural Science for AAP. He is editorial board member of several journals.

Recently, Dr. Siddiqui has received the Achiever Award 2014 for outstanding research work by the Society for Advancement of Human and Nature (SADHNA), Nauni, Himachal Pradesh, India, where he is also an Honorary Board Member. He has been an active member of the organizing committees of several national and international seminars, conferences, and summits.

Mohammad Shafiur Rahman, PhD, is a Professor at the Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman, and the author or co-author of over many technical articles, including refereed journal papers, conference papers, book chapters, reports, popular articles, and seven books. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed and award-winning Food Properties Handbook (published by CRC Press), now in its second edition, as well as author of Food Preservation. He also served an Associate Editor for the Handbook of Food Science, Engineering and Technology, and for the Handbook of Food and Bioprocess Modeling Techniques.

Professor Rahman is the founding Editor of the International Journal of Food Properties and has served on the editorial boards of several international journals. He is also a Section Editor for the Sultan Qaboos University journal Agricultural Sciences. Professor Rahman is a professional member of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Institute of Food Technologists, a member of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and Member of Executive Committee for International Society of Food Engineering, ISFE. Professor Rahman has received numerous awards and fellowships in recognition of his research/teaching achievements, including the HortResearch Chairman’s Award, the Bilateral Research Activities Program (BRAP) Award, CAMS Outstanding Researcher Award 2003, SQU Distinction in Research Award 2008, and the British Council Fellowship. His total SCOPUS citation is more than 1000 and h-index is 19, which indicates the high impact of his research in the international scientific community.

Ali Abas Wani, PhD, is senior researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, Freising, Germany. Since 2006, he has been a senior assistant professor at the Islamic University of Science & Technology, J&K, India. He was responsible for the establishment of the Department of Food Technology and also initiated several key food science programs in the region. Additionally, he is establishing a food-testing center at the Islamic University of Science & Technology Awantipora. Dr. Wani is also a Co-chair for European Hygienic Engineering Design Group (EHEDG), representing regional sections of India. He is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Food Packaging & Shelf Life, published by Elsevier Science UK. Dr. Wani has published numerous international papers, book chapters, co-edited books, and conference papers. His research focus is on the development of functional ingredients and measurement of food quality. In addition to close association with many scientific organizations in the area of food science and technology, he is an active reviewer for the journals Carbohydrate Polymers, Food Chemistry, LWT- Food Science & Technology, Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, and many other scientific journals.