Dennis O.

Herodias
VocEd 208 Agricultural Arts
MA Vocational Education
Jose Rizal Memorial State University-Dapitan City

SUBJECT MATTER:
2.2.3. Harvesting Plants and Animals
2.2.4. Post-harvest Handling e.g. Processing into by-products, transporting and marketing

DEFINITION OF TERMS:
Harvesting- Once the plant has reached maturity, it now need to be harvested. So, harvesting in agriculture is the cutting
and gathering of the matured crop.
Post-Harvest Handling- In agriculture, postharvest handling is the stage of crop production immediately
following harvest, including cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing. The instant a crop is removed from the ground, or
separated from its parent plant.
Post-Harvest Handling -Postharvest treatment largely determines final quality, whether a crop is sold for fresh
consumption, or used as an ingredient in a processed food product.
Crops -A crops in agriculture is a plant or animal product that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or
subsistence. Crop may refer either to the harvested parts or to the harvest in a more refined state.

FACTS ABOUT PLANTS:

HERBS stem or the trunk gives rise to many branches that bear
Starting from the smallest, herb is a short-sized plant leaves, flowers and fruits.
with soft, green, delicate stem without the woody CREEPERS
tissues. They complete their life cycle within one or two Creepers, as the name suggests, are plants that creep on
seasons. Generally, they have few branches or are the ground. They have very fragile, long, thin stems that
branchless. can neither stand erect nor support all its weight.
SHRUBS Examples include watermelon, strawberry, pumpkin and
Shrubs are medium-sized, woody plants taller than herbs sweet potatoes.
and shorter than a tree. Their height usually ranges CLIMBERS
between 6 m-10 m or 20 ft–33 ft tall. Climbers are much more advanced than creepers.
TREES Climbers have a very thin, long and weak stem which
Trees are big and tall plants. They have very thick, cannot stand upright but they can use external support to
woody and hard stems called the trunk. This single main grow and carry their weight. These types of plants use
special structures called tendrils to climb.

Crops are those which man intentionally grows because they have uses or benefits to him such as food, shelter, clothing,
tools, medicines, as source of any product that can be marketed. Crops are further group into two main division:
Agronomic Crops and Horticultural Crops.

AGRONOMIC CROPS
Agronomic Crops include the cereals which are mainly consumed as staple food, legume seed crops or pulses, oil seed
crops, and fiber crops.
HORTICULTURAL CROPS
Horticultural Crops include vegetables, the fruits, and the flowering and other ornamental crops.

Weeds, however, are not useful to human and may just become nuisance. These plants may compete with the other plant
for soil nutrients and water, or prevent sunlight exposure or worst climb and suffocate the later. Removing them is a
better option.

Harvesting methods differ according to the part of the plant to be used.

1. As regards forage crops, the whole plant is cut.
2. Underground crops (e.g. groundnuts, roots and tubers), the crop is lifted while the soil sticking to it is removed.
3. With cereals, the crop is first cut either as a whole or partially (ears), and then threshed and cleaned to separate the grain
from the ears and straw.

Harvesting rice consists of the basic operations which Reaping - cutting the mature panicles and straw above
can be done in individual steps or in combination using a ground
combine harvester. These include:
Threshing - separating the paddy grain from the rest of Field drying - leaving the cut crop in the field and
cut crop exposing it to the sun for drying (optional)
Cleaning - removing immature, unfilled, non-grain Stacking/piling - temporarily storing the harvested crop
materials in stacks or piles(optional)
Hauling - moving the cut crop to the threshing location Bagging - putting the threshed grain in bags for transport
and storage
PLANTING AND HARVESTING GUIDE
CROPS DAYS TO PLANTING BEST VARIETIES BY-PRODUCTS
MATURITY AND SOIL
GROWING
SEASON
Pole Beans 7 to 10 days October to Fertile soil Snap beans(yellow) Food
after November Bush beans(purple)
flowering
Ginger 9 months after May to June Sandy Native Raw material in the
planting loam Red Native production
Clay loam Imugan beverages,
Jamaica “oya” perfumes and
Hawaiian medicine
Candies
Pickles
Ginger essence and
oil
Radish 75 All year round Sandy ‘60 days’ (milky white) Hybrid Food
70 loam and Mino (Milky White) Early
60-65 silty loam Hybrid Success (Green)
60 soil Mino Early (Pure White)
25 Red Round Cherriette (Bright
Red)
Lady’s 40 to 75 starts Year Round Silty to Smooth Green Food
fingers to flower sandy loam (Dark Green)
4-6 days after
flowering
Banana 15 to 16 Best during Well Saba Puree
months after Rainy Season drained Lacatan Candied
planting loamy soil Latundan Preserved
4 to 15 Bungulan Dried
months Cavendish Vinegar
12 months Wine
6 to 8 months catsup

Watermelon 70 to 85 days October to Well seedless Sky Bell, Dessert

after sowing January drained seeded Red Glory food
sandy loam
Garlic 90 to 110 days Type I Climate Sandy, silt Ilocos White Food
after planting May to October and clay
loam
Luffa 5 days after June to Well- Manufactured as
Gourd fruit setting September pulverized body scrub
soil
Tomato 1-2 months May to Sandy Apollo, Canned
during cooler September Loam or Magilas, Juice
times Clay Loam Atlas (F1), Paste
Cherry Puree
Catsup
Bitter 16-19 days October to Sandy Native, Seeds with oil,
Gourd from full DECEMBER Loam or Sta. Rita, employed as
bloom of the Clay Loam Jade Star cosmetic
 flower
Palay (Rice) Four to five In the North Paddy field Rice is grouped by size: long, Staple Food
months to Wet Season medium, or short grain. Most
reach maturity June to common not hybrid grains are
reaching a November Indica
height of 3 Dry season rice Milagrosa
feet crop January to
May
In the South
Wet season
October-
November to
March-April
Dry Season
crops from May-
June to
November
Lanzones 140-150 days September to Sandy Duku Fruit dessert
from flower early November loam Paete
formation Jolo
Longkong
Mango 110-130 after Year Round Loamy, Pico, Dried
flower relatively Carabao, Puree
initiation high in Katchamita Candy
organic Jam
matter
Papaya 4 to 5 months Year round Well- Sinta, Salad
after drained soil Red Lady, Pickle
flowering Cavite Special, Pharmaceutical
Solo Cosmetics
POST HARVES METHOD
Curing of roots, tubers, and bulb crops
When roots and tubers are to be stored for long periods, curing is necessary to extend the shelf life. The curing
process involves the application of high temperatures and high relative humidity to the roots and tubers for long periods,
in order to heal the skins wounded during harvesting
Operations prior to packaging
Fruits and vegetables are subjected to preliminary treatments designed to improve appearance and maintain quality.
Cleaning:
Most produce receives various chemical treatments such as spraying of insecticides and pesticides in the field. Most of
these chemicals are poisonous to humans, even in small concentrations. Therefore, all traces of chemicals must be
removed from produce before packing
Disinfection:
After washing fruits and vegetables, disinfectant agents are added to the soaking tank to avoid propagation of diseases
among consecutive batches of produce. Low concentrations of chlorine solution are also used as disinfectant for many
vegetables. The advantage of this solution is that it does not leave a chemical residue on the product.
Artificial waxing:
Artificial wax is applied to produce to replace the natural wax lost during washing of fruits or vegetables. This adds a
bright sheen to the product.
Brand name application:
Some distributors use ink or stickers to stamp a brand name or logo on each individual fruit. Ink is not permissible in
some countries (e.g., Japan), but stickers are acceptable. Automatic machines for dispensing and applying pressure
sensitive paper stickers are readily available. The advantage of stickers is that they can be easily peeled off.

Packaging
According to Wills et al. (1989), modern packaging must comply with the following requirements:
a) The package must have sufficient mechanical strength to protect the contents during handling, transport, and stacking.
b) The packaging material must be free of chemical substances that could transfer to the produce and become toxic to
man.
c) The package must meet handling and marketing requirements in terms of weight, size, and shape.
d) The package should allow rapid cooling of the contents. Furthermore, the permeability of plastic films to respiratory
gases could also be important.
e) Mechanical strength of the package should be largely unaffected by moisture content (when wet) or high humidity
conditions.
f) The security of the package or ease of opening and closing might be important in some marketing situations.
g) The package must either exclude light or be transparent.
h) The package should be appropriate for retail presentations.
i) The package should be designed for ease of disposal, re-use, or recycling.
j) Cost of the package in relation to value and the extent of contents protection required should be as low as possible.

Cooling methods and temperatures

Several methods of cooling are applied to produce after harvesting to extend shelf life and maintain a fresh-like quality.
Some of the low temperature treatments are unsuitable for simple rural or village treatment but are included for
consideration as follows:

2.2.4.1 Precooling

Fruit is precooled when its temperature is reduced from 3 to 6°C (5 to 10°F) and is cool enough for safe transport.
Precooling may be done with cold air, cold water (hydrocooling), direct contact with ice, or by evaporation of water from
the product under a partial vacuum (vacuum cooling). A combination of cooled air and water in the form of a mist called
hyraircooling is an innovation in cooling of vegetables.

2.2.4.2 Air precooling

Precooling of fruits with cold air is the most common practice. It can be done in refrigerator cars, storage rooms, tunnels,
or forced air-coolers (air is forced to pass through the container via baffles and pressure differences).

2.2.4.3 Icing

Ice is commonly added to boxes of produce by placing a layer of crushed ice directly on the top of the crop. An ice slurry
can be applied in the following proportion: 60% finely crushed ice, 40% water, and 0.1% sodium chloride to lower the
melting point. The water to ice ratio may vary from 1:1 to 1:4.

2.2.4.4 Room cooling

This method involves placing the crop in cold storage. The type of room used may vary, but generally consists of a
refrigeration unit in which cold air is passed through a fan. The circulation may be such that air is blown across the top of
the room and falls through the crop by convection. The main advantage is cost because no specific facility is required.

The slaughter of livestock involves three distinct stages: preslaughter handling, stunning, and slaughtering

Preslaughter handling is a major concern to the livestock industry, especially the pork industry. Stress applied to
livestock before slaughter can lead to undesirable effects on the meat produced from these animals.
Preslaughter stress can be reduced by preventing the mixing of different groups of animals, by keeping livestock
cool with adequate ventilation, and by avoiding overcrowding. Before slaughter, animals should be allowed access to
water but held off feed for 12 to 24 hours to assure complete bleeding and ease of visceration (the removal of internal
organs).
As the slaughter process begins, livestock are restrained in a chute that limits physical movement of the animal.
Once restrained, the animal is stunned to ensure a humane end with no pain. Stunning also results in decreased stress of
the animal and superior meat quality.
The three most common methods of stunning are mechanical, electrical, and carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. The end
result of each method is to render the animal unconscious. Mechanical stunning involves firing a bolt through the skull of
the animal using a pneumatic device or pistol.
Electrical stunning passes a current of electricity through the brain of the animal. CO2 stunning exposes the
animal to a mixture of CO2 gas, which acts as an anesthetic.

Hogs
Hogs are one of the few domesticated livestock animals in which the skin is left on the carcass after the slaughter
process. Therefore, after bleeding, the carcasses undergo an extensive cleaning procedure. First they are placed for about
five minutes in a scalding tank of water that is between 57 and 63 °C (135 and 145 °F) in order to loosen hair and remove
dirt and other material (called scurf) from the skin.
 Hogs are usually stunned by electrical means or CO2 gas. Mechanical stunning is not generally used in hogs
because it may cause serious quality problems in the meat, including blood splashing (small, visible
hemorrhages in the muscle tissue) in the lean and PSE meat.
The carcasses are then placed in a dehairing machine, which uses rubber paddles to remove the loosened hair.
After dehairing, the carcasses are suspended from a rail with hooks placed through the gambrel tendons on the hind limbs,
and any residual hair is shaved and singed off the skin. An exception to this procedure occurs in
certain specialized hog slaughter facilities, such as “whole hog” sausage slaughter plants. Inwhole hog sausage production
all the skeletal meat is trimmed off the carcass, and therefore the carcass is routinely skinned
following exsanguination.
After cleaning and dehairing, heads are removed and carcasses are opened by a straight cut in the centre of the
belly to remove the viscera (the digestive system including liver, stomach, bladder, and intestines and the reproductive
organs), pluck (thoracic contents including heart and lungs), kidneys, and associated fat (called leaf fat). The intestines are
washed and cleaned to serve as natural casings for sausage products. The carcasses are then split down the centre of the
backbone into two “sides,” which are placed in a cooler (called a “hot box”) for approximately 24 hours before fabrication
into meat cuts.

Cattle, calves, and sheep

These animals are usually stunned mechanically, but some sheep slaughter facilities also use electrical stunning.
The feet are removed from the carcasses before they are suspended by the Achilles tendon of a hind leg for
exsanguination. The carcasses are then skinned with the aid of mechanical skinners called “hide pullers.” Sheep pelts are
often removed by hand in a process called “fisting.” (In older operations, hides and pelts are removed by knife.)
The hides (cattle and calves) or pelts (sheep) are usually preserved by salting so that they can be tanned for leather
products. Heads are removed at the first cervical vertebra, called the atlas joint. Evisceration and splitting are similar to
hog procedures, except that kidney, pelvic, and heart fat are typically left in beef carcasses for grading. Carcasses are then
placed in a cooler for 24 hours (often 48 hours for beef) prior to fabrication into meat cuts.

Meat Processing is a preparation of meat for human consumption. Meat is the common term used to describe the
edible portion of animal tissues and any processed or manufactured products prepared from these tissues. Meats are often
classified by the type of animal from which they are taken.
Red meat refers to the meat taken from mammals, white meat refers to the meat taken from fowl, seafood refers to
the meat taken from fish and shellfish, and game refers to meat taken from animals that are not commonly domesticated.
In addition, most commonly consumed meats are specifically identified by the live animal from which they come.
By-products are the nonmeat materials collected during the slaughter process, commonly called offal. Variety meats
include livers, brains, hearts, sweetbreads (thymus and pancreas), fries (testicles), kidneys, oxtails, tripe (stomach of
cattle), and tongue.
Beef refers to the meat from cattle, veal from calves, pork from hogs, lamb from young sheep, and mutton from
sheep older than two years. Bones and rendered meat are used as bone and meat meal in animal feeds and fertilizers.
Gelatin, obtained from high-collagen products such as pork snouts, pork skin, and dried rendered bone, is used in
confections, jellies, and pharmaceuticals. Intestines are used as sausage casings. Hormones and other pharmaceutical
products such as insulin, heparin, and cortisone are obtained from various glands and tissues. Edible fats are used as lard
(from hogs), tallow (from cattle), shortenings, and cooking oils.