Processing and Value Addition of Horticultural Crops

This book is a comprehensive guide designed to equip students, researchers, and agri-entrepreneurs with essential knowledge and skills in post-harvest management and value addition. It explores the importance and scope of preserving fruits and vegetables in the context of reducing post-harvest losses, enhancing food security, and supporting agro-based industries.

The content is organized to cover the full spectrum of preservation technologies from traditional to modern including heat processing, chemical preservation, freezing, drying, and the use of salt, vinegar, and sugar. Special focus is given to practical methods like canning, juice and beverage production, and the processing of tomato, mushroom, and plantation crops. It also addresses current trends in food quality, spoilage control, and regulatory frameworks, including food laws and India Agricultural Export Policy (AEP).

With clear explanations of unit operations, quality control measures, and entrepreneurship guidelines for setting up food processing units, this book bridges the gap between academic knowledge and field-level applications. It serves as a valuable resource for students of agriculture, food science, horticulture, and professionals involved in food processing and agribusiness.

Pritam Chand Sharma FIAHS (Dr PC Sharma) is working as an Emeritus Professor (ICAR) in the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry (YSPUHF) Solan HP after superannuating from the university in 2019 as Dean, College of Horticulture & Forestry Neri Hamirpur. Dr Sharma obtained his B Sc Agri (1976-80) and M Sc (Horticulture & FT) Hons’ (1980-83) from HP Agricultural University, Palampur, and Ph D (Food Tech) from Punjab Agriculture University Ludhiana (1993-96). He joined Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry as an Assistant Scientist (Fruit Tech) in 1987. He rose to Principal Horticultural Technologist/Professor in 2006, Professor & Head of Food Science & Technology in 2016, and then Dean from 2016-2019. He has also served ICAR-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering & Technology Abohar Punjab as Head of the Horticulture Crops Processing Division (2013-2015). Before joining the university, Dr Sharma served the state Department of Horticulture as Manager cum Chemist Fruit Canning Unit and Quality Control Inspector (1984-1986). A recipient of a Commonwealth Fellowship from the British Council, Dr Sharma has worked on post-harvest technology of horticultural crops, including fruit flavonoids, Irradiation and High-Pressure Processing at the Queens’ University of Belfast (UK) during 2002-2003. He has about four decades of experience in teaching, research, and technology transfer in post-harvest management, processing, and value addition. As major advisor, he has guided more than 15 students for their Masters’ and Doctoral degrees in Post Harvest Technology/Food Science & Technology. Dr Sharma has been awarded with number of awards such as Kejriwal Award (2002 & 2007), NN Mohan Memorial Award (2005), Dr JS Pruthi Award (2005 & 2012), AFST (I) Award (2007), for his work on foam mat drying of lemon juice powder to replace synthetic citric acid, olive oil extraction, Fruit juice carbonation, and Seabuckthorn processing and ISAE Team Award from Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers, New Delhi (2014) for the first nationwide study on estimation of post-harvest losses of agricultural crops and animal produce in the country (2007-09). He has handled many externally funded projects (NATP, Mini Mission, HP State Council for Science, Technology & Environment, NOVOD Board, NAIP, AICRP on PHT, CRP on Health Foods, and CRP on Secondary Agriculture) and developed need-based technologies such as Fruit kernel oil extraction from apricots, peaches, plums stones, hard shelled walnuts and seabuckthorn seeds, high value products from apricot oil and press cake, edible fibre and pectin from apple pomace, aloe vera and stevia based low calorie beverages, pneumatic assisted automatic fruit coring device, hand operated apple corer for apple seed separation, canning of ber fruits and low calorie pear slices, osmotic drying of apricots and grapes, foam mat drying of seabuckthorn pulp and has successfully established 06 agro-processing centres on Apricot Oil extraction consisting of mechanical decorticator, kernel separation, oil expeller, filter press and automatic pouch filler and sealer. Based on these extensive studies, Himachal Pradesh apricot oil/ chulli oil has a GI (Geographical Indication) tag from the Indian Patent Office. As a consultant and Senior Food Technology Expert with Global Innovation Centre in Agriculture for German Development Cooperation (GIC-GIZ), Dr Sharma has conducted a Marketing and Processing study of apples in Himachal Pradesh (2020-21) and established several Food Processing Enterprises in the Shimla and Kullu districts (2021-22), respectively. He has evaluated several project proposals for establishing fruit processing enterprises as an expert under the World Bank-funded Horticulture Development Project in Himachal Pradesh (2020-22). Dr Sharma was also the horticulture expert for the recently conducted MOFPI (Ministry of Food Processing Industries GOI) sponsored NABCONS study on the Assessment of harvest & post-harvest losses in agriculture produce in the country (2020-22).

In recognition of his contribution in the area of fruit & vegetable preservation, Dr Sharma has been awarded the Dr JS Pruthi Career Achievement Award by the Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) in 2015 and conferred with a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Horticultural Sciences (the then Horticulture Society of India, New Delhi) in 2018. As a course Director, he successfully conducted ICAR-sponsored Model Training Courses on Processing and value addition of fruits and vegetables in 2014 & 2015. He is the author of an e-book on the Processing of Horticultural Crops for B Sc (Hons) Horticulture students. He has about 190 research publications to his credit and was the online editor for Journal of Food Science & Technology, reviewer for the Journal of Food Processing & Preservation, Indian Food Packer and Indian Journal of Mushrooms, external examiner and question paper setter for Agriculture Research Services examinations (ICAR) and M Sc and Ph D thesis evaluator for different Agriculture Universities/institutes. Presently he is member of Scientific panel on Fruits, Vegetables, and their Products (including dried fruits and nuts), Food Safety & Standards Authority of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of India (2023-2026) and External Member of the Advisory Committee of ICAR- NASF research project of IIT Roorkee (2023-2025). As an Emeritus Professor (ICAR), he teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses related to Food Science & Technology and food processing & preservation.