Cold Chain Management for the Fresh Produce Industry in the Developing World

Global food losses are a result of a lack of necessary infrastructure, improper food safety handling procedures, and insufficient training for the personnel working in the cold chain. The development of a resource-efficient and energy-smart food supply chain requires a well-integrated evaluation and development of the cold chain. Cold Chain Management for the Fresh Produce Industry in the Developing World provides a comprehensive review of the benefits of an unbroken cold chain in developing countries and focuses on the critical role of extension education in the implementation of cold chain management.

The unbroken cold chain is essential for all stakeholders in the fresh produce industry to maintain the quality and safety of food products during handling, transporting, and storing in their journey from producer to consumer. Appropriate cold chain management is crucial not only to reduce the postharvest losses and wastages, but also to increase farmers' income, generate employment opportunities, and improve the livelihood of stakeholders along the supply chain.

This book comprises of chapters contributed by the experts and practitioners of cold chain development in developing countries. The authors in the book provide the scenario of cold chain management in the world and discuss the importance of the cold chain as well as the different options and innovations of cooling systems. Chapters also include case studies, success stories, capacity building activities, and other opportunities in cold chain development.

Vijay Yadav Tokala did his PhD (Environment and Agriculture) with specialization in postharvest physiology at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. He studied the effect of two newly discovered ethylene antagonist compounds and 1-methylcyclopropene in the fruit crops, to extend storage life under different storage environments. He won a highly competitive "2016 - International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS)" and "Australian Postgraduate Award (APA)" through a merit-based international competition to pursue his PhD. Vijay completed his graduation with Horticulture as specialization from Dr Y.S.R. Horticultural University, Andhra Pradesh (India) and was the top scorer in the college (88.94 %). His postgraduate research was on fruit and vegetable processing and was awarded 'University Gold Medal' for being the top scorer in university (87.60 %) at S.K. Rajasthan Agricultural University, Rajasthan (India).

Vijay is currently employed at Amity University as Assistant Professor, since January 2020. Previously, Vijay held the position of Research Scholar; Teaching Assistant for 4 years (March 2016 - October 2019), while working at Curtin University, Australia. Before this, he worked as 'Horticulture Officer' in the Government of Andhra Pradesh (India) for 15 months (November 2013 - February 2015) with duties as a field consultant and extension officer in both rural and urban areas, with the main job objective to enhance quality horticulture production. He is also voluntarily serving as President-Elect/ Board of Director for 'The Postharvest Education Foundation, a US-based non-profit organization committed to reducing global postharvest losses by providing innovative training programs to participants from more than 30 different developing nations.

He is well-versed and experienced in the production and postharvest aspects of horticulture crops of different climatic zones. He has edited two books on postharvest capacity building, published more than 25 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and presented papers at several national and international platforms. His previous international consultation experience includes desktop studies and coordination with local teams for postharvest management of horticulture crops in Ethiopia, Nepal, Rwanda and Senegal. He also regularly participates in online technical discussions, related to postharvest management of horticulture crops, sustainable agriculture, food loss and waste reduction etc. through social networking sites and blogs.

Majeed Mohammed is a Professor of Postharvest Physiology at the University of The West Indies UWI), with 31 years of experience in teaching, research and outreach activities. He earned his Ph.D. in Postharvest Physiology at The UWI, M.Sc. in Postharvest Physiology at the University of Guelph and B.Sc. in Agriculture at The UWI. His research is centered on the physiology and biochemistry of ripening of tropical fruits, effects of ethylene antagonists in delaying senescence of cut-flowers, alleviation of physiological disorders of minimally processed fruits and vegetables and cold chain management and development of value-added food products. He has developed four schools of research: one in Postharvest Physiology; another in Commodity Utilisation; the third in Food Quality Management and the fourth in Postharvest Extension. His latest work focuses on assisting Caribbean countries with developing sustainable, efficient and inclusive mechanisms to produce, transform and deliver healthy and safe food to consumers. He is currently a Board Director with the Postharvest Education Foundation (PEF), USA and a member of the UN/FAO Panel of Experts from Latin America and the Caribbean on the Prevention and Reduction of Food Losses and Waste.