Learning Area TLE – Agricultural Crop Production Grade Level 9

W4 Quarter 4 Date
I. LESSON TITLE Post-Harvest
II. MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING
Perform post-harvest operation based on standard Procedures
COMPETENCIES (MELCs)
III. CONTENT/CORE CONTENT Post-Harvest Activities
General Chain of Post-harvest Activities
IV. LEARNING PHASES AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES
I. Introduction (Time Frame: 20mins.)
Harvesting is one of the most important phases of the agricultural calendar since it marks a point in time when the crops have
survived from natural disasters and are ready to be gathered in. Postharvest handling is the stage of crop production
immediately following harvest that includes cooling, cleaning, sorting, packing, marketing, etc. The pictures from Gulayan sa
Paaralan shows different postharvest activities.

Grade 9 Agricultural Crop students S.Y. 2019-2021 while sorting,

packing and marketing their Gulayan sa Paaralan output

At the end of the lesson you should be able to:

- identify the different post-harvest activities;
- enumerate the general chain of postharvest;
- perform postharvest activity.
D. Development (Time Frame: 1hr and 30mins)
Let us see how much you know about the lesson by answering Learning Task 1. Below are the post-harvest chains. Complete
the diagram for the general chain of postharvest activities by choosing the appropriate word inside the box. Use your TLE
notebook.
Farm Market Transport Pack-house Processing

General Chain of Postharvest Activities

Post-harvest management is a system of handling, storing, and transporting agricultural commodities after harvest. During the
postharvest period, handlers and producers focus on preserving the quality, quantity, and safety of the commodities.

Post-harvest chain

• Farm: harvesting and field handling techniques

• Pack-House: cleaning, sorting/grading, sanitizing, microbial control, packaging, cooling and storage techniques
• Transport: loading/unloading, stacking and product protection techniques
• Market: re-sorting, repacking, and storage techniques
• Processing: drying, sauce production, and fermentation

Post-Harvest Factors Affecting the Quality of vegetables

1. Washing/Cleaning: Almost all fruits and vegetables require special preparation before they are packed. Vegetables such as
root and tuber crops are often washed to remove the soils stuck on them. Washing the fruits before packing is very important,
especially those which have been treated with poisonous chemicals. Water used for washing improves the appearance of
fruits and vegetables and prevents wilting. Also, organisms present on the fruits and vegetables are removed during washing.
Many vegetables need to be trimmed before they are ready for the market. Rotten, diseased, insect-damaged and
discolored leaves of vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, lettuce and several others are trimmed off. Leafy greens such as
green onion, spinach, mustard and pechay are tied in bundles.
IV. LEARNING PHASES AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES
How to Wash Vegetables and Fruits
For washing produce at home, the FDA recommends a seven-step process:
1. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soapy warm water before and after preparing fresh fruits and vegetables.
2. Cut any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing or eating.
3. Rinse all produce with water before you peel it. This will help prevent cross-contamination from dirt and
bacteria that might transfer from the knife onto your produce.
4. Gently rub fruits and vegetables under plain, running water. There's no need to use soap or a produce wash.
5. Scrub firm produce (think apples, melon, cucumber and pears) with a clean vegetable brush.
6. Dry produce with a clean cloth or paper towel. This will help remove any remaining bacteria.
7. For veggies like lettuce or cabbage, remove the outermost leaves.

2. Pre-cooling: It is desirable to remove field heat of the harvested vegetables, particularly when it is harvested during a hot
weather. This prevents the ripening and aging of the produce. Prompt cooling conserves weight which gives an added
advantage during the extended period of storage.

Methods for Pre-cooling Fresh Produce

2.1. Room Cooling - is simply placing your product-to-be-cooled in a room colder than the product for the required time to
cool the product to the desired temperature. Room cooling is suitable for produce varieties that don’t decay
quickly. Beets, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkins, apples, pears and peaches are produce varieties that are often room-
cooled but can benefit from a faster form of pre cooling.
2.2. Hydro-cooling - is a method of pre cooling that involves chilling water and then showering or submerging the product
in cold water. Hydro-cooling is very fast, but limited by the temperature to which you can cool produce. You can use
hydro-cooling for asparagus, beans (green), broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, parsnips, radishes, and sweet
corn.
2.3. Vacuum Cooling - uses negative pressure (vacuum pump) to allow evaporation to occur. The moisture within the
product evaporates at this low pressure, which cools the product. Lettuce is commonly vacuum cooled.
2.4. Ice Cooling - or ice injection cooling is the method of mixing ice and water into a slurry that is “injected” into the
product packaging and cools by direct contact. Historically, ice was crushed and “blown” onto the tops of
railcar loads of lettuce. Produce varieties cooled by ice cooling: asparagus, broccoli, leeks, onions (green), parsnips,
radishes, and sweet corn.
2.5. Forced-air Cooling - removes heat by creating a pressure differential across the product and “drawing” cold air
through the product packaging. This method may also be called Blast Cooling. This is the method used by
the MACS Cooler. (Modular Automated Cooling System) Produce types that can be cooled with a MACS Cooler
include: apples, avocados, beans (green, wax), bell peppers, blueberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots,
cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, mushrooms, peaches, pears, potatoes, romaine lettuce,
spinach, squash, tomatoes, and more.

3. Grading: Fruits and vegetables are graded according to shape, size and color. Some fruits and vegetables are graded
according to their maturity (okra, cucumber, ridge gourd etc.), ripeness (mango, tomato, etc.) and general appearance as
well. In sorting the fruits and vegetables, all the characters that influence their appearance and quality should be considered.

Methods of Grading Fruits and Vegetables:

There are two methods in grading fruits and vegetables: manual grading and machine grading. Nowadays, the grading
process is already fully mechanized except in India, where it is still done manually. Every country has set their own standards of
different grades as per market requirements. However, for international market, three general grades are considered: Extra
class, Class I and Class II.
Extra Class: The extra class is of superior quality poses the shapes and color of the variety and without internal defect. It must
be carefully presented taking into accounts the uniformity of the produce in size, color, and condition arrangement in the
package, quality and appearances of the packing or pre-packing material.
Class I: Almost having the same quality as the the Extra Class except that 10% tolerance is allowed. Individual fruit is allowed to
have a slight defect in shape, color. Minor skin defect which does not affect the general appearance for keeping qualities is
also acceptable.
Class II: This class of produce may exhibit some external or internal defects provided they are fit for consumption while fresh.
This class is best fit for local or short distance market. This category will satisfy the needs of customers who are not too
demanding and for whom price is more important than quality.

Advantages of Grading
• The graded produce fetch better price in the market.
IV. LEARNING PHASES AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES
• It helps develop greater confidence between buyers and growers.
• It increases the marketing efficiency by facilitating buying and selling a produce without personal selection.
• It helps avoid heavy marketing cost in packing and transportation.
• It increases distributors’ profits.
• It increases producers’ profits.
• It improves product uniformity within a particular grade and serves as the basis for price.

Learning Task 2. True or False. Write true if the statement is correct. If it is false, change the underlined word to make the
statement correct. Write your answer in your TLE notebook
___1. The graded produce fetch better price in the market.
___2. The extra class of superior quality poses the shapes and color of the variety, and without internal defect.
___3. Ice cooling is a method of pre-cooling that involves chilling water.
___4. Class II is best fitted for local or short-distance market.
___5. Washing fruits before packing is very important.
Learning Task 3. Group the following fruits and vegetables according to the methods of pre-cooling. Write your answer in your
TLE notebook.
mushrooms asparagus potato beets bean sweet corn tomato
pumpkin broccoli leeks apple lettuce carrots cucumbers radishes
Room Cooling Hydro Cooling Vacuum Cooling Ice Cooling Forced-air Cooling

E. Engagement (Time Frame: 1hr and 30mins)

Learning Task 4. Perform Grading/Sorting

Instructions
1. Prepare all the necessary materials such as wooden/plastic crates or basket with liners.
2. Proceed to your garden and sort/grade your harvested vegetable. If you do not have any harvested vegetable in your
garden, with the assistance of your family member, you may go to the nearest area where there are farmers harvesting.
3. Perform / Observe how to separate good-quality produce from the others.
4. Perform / Observe how to weigh sorted vegetables.
3. Complete the table after sorting:
Name of vegetables Total no. of kilos
Good Quality Not in Good Quality
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Note: you can add additional rows if needed

SAFETYPRECAUTION REMINDERS:
1. Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) before proceeding to your gardem.. It includes farm boots or rubber shoes,
protective hat, protective suits (long sleeves on top and pants), and hand gloves.
2. Handle tools properly, especially sharp and pointed ones. Avoid having body contact with the pointed objects.
3. Clean your area before, during, and after the activity.

RUBRICS
CRITERIA PROFICIENT (5) ACCEPTABLE (4) BEGINNER (3)
Process Consistently demonstrate Occasionally demonstrate Do not demonstrate targeted
Skills targeted process skills targeted process skills process skills
Accuracy Performs the task with no error Performs the task with at least 1-2 Performs the task with at least 3-5
errors errors
Safety Follows all the safety practices Follows the safety practices with at Follows the safety practices with at
as set in the guidelines least 1-2 safety measures not met least 3-5 safety measures not met
IV. LEARNING PHASES AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

A. Assimilation (Time Frame: 15mins)

It was concluded that the quality of the harvested fruit and vegetable can be maintained and shelf life can be extended by
using appropriate postharvest handling practices and treatment methods. Failure to adhere to these practices will result to a
high amount of loss. It is therefore important to know suitable postharvest handling practices that are needed to maintain the
quality and extend the shelf life of harvested vegetables. Some of the handling practices include the following;

Post-Harvest Factors Affecting Quality of vegetables

Washing/Cleaning Pre-cooling Grading

w
Room Cooling Hydro Cooling Vacuum Cooling Ice Cooling Forced-air Cooling

V. ASSESSMENT (Time Frame: 15mins) Multiple choice. Choose the letter of the correct answer and write it in your TLE
notebook.
___1. Which method of grading is done manually?
A. Manual grading B. Machine grading C. One by one grading D. All of the above
___2. Which vegetable is often washed to remove the soil adhering over them?
A. Leafy vegetables B. Root and tuber crops C. Stem Cutting vegetable D. None of the above
___3. Which method of grading fruit and vegetable exhibit some external or internal defect?
A. Extra Class B. Class I C. Class II D. Class III
___4. Which method of pre-cooling may also be called Blast Cooling?
A. Forced air cooling B. Vacuum cooling C. Hydro cooling D. Ice cooling
___5. What do you call the system of handling, storing, and transporting agricultural commodities after harvest?
A. Post-harvest B. Pre-harvest C. Harvesting D. All of the above
VI. REFLECTION (Time Frame: 10mins)

• Communicate your personal assessment as indicated in the Learner’s Assessment Card.

Personal Assessment on Learner’s Level of Performance

Using the symbols below, choose one which best describes your experience in working on each given task. Draw it in
the column for Level of Performance (LP). Be guided by the descriptions below:
 - I was able to do/perform the task without any difficulty. The task helped me in understanding the target content/ lesson.
✓ - I was able to do/perform the task. It was quite challenging, but it still helped me in understanding the target
content/lesson.
? – I was not able to do/perform the task. It was extremely difficult. I need additional enrichment activities to be able to
do/perform this task.
Learning Task LP Learning Task LP Learning Task LP Learning Task LP
Number 1 Number 3 Number 5 Number 7
Number 2 Number 4 Number 6 Number 8
VII. REFERENCES https://www.plantsjournal.com/archives/2018/vol6issue6/PartA/6-5-15-686.pdf
https://www.slideshare.net/BasudevSharma1/post-harvest-management-of-vegetables-crops
https://extension.psu.edu/fruit-and-vegetable-marketing-for-small-scale-and-part-time-
growers
https://www.livestrong.com/article/447620-eating-fruit-without-washing-it/
https://www.coolingindia.in/advantages-of-fruits-vegetables-grading/
Prepared by: Alejandra Rodillas Rivere Checked and Geraldine M. Constantino
reviewed by: Maria Madel C. Rubia
Louie L. Fulledo
Generosa F. Zubieta
Ermelo A. Escobinas