Home-based Fruit and Vegetable Processing in Afghanistan A manual for field workers and trainers Book One: Principles of post-harvest handling, storage and processing of fruits and vegetables Written by Susan Azam Ali Edited by Charlotte Dufour Published by arrangement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Government of Afghanistan Home-based Fruit and Vegetable Processing in Afghanistan A manual for field workers and trainers Book One: Principles of post-harvest handling, storage and processing of fruits and vegetables Written by Susan Azam Ali Edited by Charlotte Dufour Published by arrangement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Government of Afghanistan The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country,territory,city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers,whether or not these have been patented,does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in preference to others of a similar nature that are not men- tioned.The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial pur- poses is prohibited without written permission of the copy- right holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Communication Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to [email protected]. ISBN 978-92-5-105916-6 ©FAO, 2008 a FOREWORD Afghanistan can be proud of the diversity of its agricultural products and the richness of its farming systems.And yet,despite this wealth of agricultural pro- duce, in particular fruits and vegetables, many Afghan families do not eat suf- ficiently diverse foods, especially during the long winters and in the remote areas that are characteristic of Afghanistan. This lack of diverse foods is a major cause of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies which affect the majority of the population, in particular mothers and children. Food processing is an essential way of helping Afghan farming households pre- serve their food and thus increase the availability and diversity of their diet throughout the year thereby reducing malnutrition and improving food security. It can also be a very good source of income for households: food processing helps reduce post-harvest losses; it enables households to sell their produce after the harvest season when prices are higher, and it also allows farmers to transport their produce to distant markets where they can obtain better prices for their produce. The Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock and FAO Afghanistan are proud to make this manual on the processing of fruits and vegetables available to Afghan farmers and their families, and to the dedicated workers who work by their side: agricultural extension workers, home economics officers, NGO workers, vocational trainers, school and literacy teachers, and other community mobilisers. We thank those who join us in our goal of making the Afghan nation healthy and ready to build its future. H.E.Obaidullah Ramin Tekeste Ghebray Tekie Minister of Agriculture,Irrigation and Livestock FAO Representative Government of Afghanistan Afghanistan b ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock and FAO Afghanistan would like to express their thanks to the persons who contributed to the preparation of this manual on Home-based Fruit and Vegetable Processing. The manual was written by Susan Azam Ali, FAO consultant, with support from Stephanie Gallat, Food Technologist in FAO Headquarters (Agricultural and Food Engineering Technologies Service) and Charlotte Dufour, Household Food Security Nutrition and Livelihoods Advisor with FAO Afghanistan. The manual was reviewed by Akbar Sharestani,Farida Lamay and Mahbooba Abawi, from FAO Afghanistan, in close collaboration with the Home Economics Department of the Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock, in particular Nazeera Rahman (Director of Home Economics). The Dari and Pashto translations were prepared by Dr. Mohammad Saber Perdes and Dr. Wais Farda. The Dari version was edited by Akbar Sharestani, and the Pashto version by Nasrullah Mangal (FAO Afghanistan). Illustrations were made by Mr. Hassan Zakizadeh and photographs provided by Charlotte Dufour, Yonus Entezar & Mahbooba Abawi (FAO Afghanistan), Mission East (NGO),Practical Action and Tom Brown (from ASAP - Accelerating Sustainable Agricultural Development). The design and layout were prepared by Aina Media and Culture Centre. Special thanks go to Mr. Nasrullah Mangal (FAO Afghanistan) for supervising the publication process. This work would not have been possible without the support of the FAO Representative to Afghanistan, Mr. Tekeste Tekie, and the financial contribution of two FAO Afghanistan projects and their respective donor governments: "Supporting Household Food Security and Nutrition in Afghanistan", funded by the Government of Germany, and the "Alternative Agricultural Livelihoods Programme", funded by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID). c TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................1 Why is food storage and processing important in Afghanistan? ..................1 Common problems related to food storage and processing in Afghanistan: .............................................................................................................2 Why was manual written and for whom? ...........................................................2 Content of the manual ...............................................................................................3 How was this manual developed? .........................................................................3 WHY DO WE NEED TO PROCESS FRUIT AND VEGETABLES? ..................................................5 What is home-based food processing and why is it important? ...................5 How foods can become spoiled ..............................................................................6 Controlling food spoilage through processing ....................................................7 POST-HARVEST HANDLING AND STORAGE ..........................................................................9 Optimum handling conditions for fruits and vegetables .................................9 Handling ..........................................................................................................................9 Sorting ...........................................................................................................................11 Washing ........................................................................................................................11 Packaging .....................................................................................................................11 Optimum post harvest storage for fruits, vegetables and potatoes ...........13 Effect of temperature on post-harvest storage ......................................................13 The importance of relative humidity (RH).................................................................13 Storage structures ......................................................................................................17 Characteristics of storage structures ........................................................................17 A simple evaporative cooler ......................................................................................17 Underground storage pits. ..........................................................................................18 PROCESSING: INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL PRINCIPLES ....................................................19 Principles of food preservation .............................................................................20 Temperature control .....................................................................................................20 Control of moisture content .......................................................................................22 Regulation of acidity ...................................................................................................22 Overview of fruit and vegetable processing techniques .............................24 Differences between fruits and vegetables ..............................................................24 Summary of small-scale fruit and vegetable processing techniques ...................24 The use of chemical additives in food processing ..................................................26 The effect of processing on nutritional quality .......................................................26 d Processing pre-treatments for fruit and vegetables ........................................28 Washing .......................................................................................................................28 Blanching ......................................................................................................................28 Sulphuring and sulphiting ...........................................................................................29 Description of processing methods for fruit and vegetables ........................30 Drying ............................................................................................................................30 Jam-making ..................................................................................................................34 Chutneys, sauce, ketchup, and paste .........................................................................35 Fermented pickles .........................................................................................................36 Vinegar .........................................................................................................................38 Tips for assuring quality when processing foods ............................................40 POST PROCESSING PACKAGING AND STORAGE ................................................................43 The purpose of packaging ......................................................................................43 Types of packaging available ...............................................................................43 HYGIENE AND FOOD SAFETY ...........................................................................................47 Keeping foods clean and hygienic throughout the process ..........................47 How can bacteria be introduced into fruit and vegetables? .................................47 Simple hygiene rules to protect foods during processing .....................................48 ANNEX 1: EXAMPLES OF STORAGE STRUCTURES .............................................................51 ANNEX 2: EXAMPLES OF SOLAR DRYERS .........................................................................57 Annex 3: SULPHUR CABINETS ........................................................................................65 GLOSSARY .......................................................................................................................67 REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY .....................................................................................72 USEFUL CONTACTS ...........................................................................................................73 e LIST OF BOXES AND TABLES: Box 1 What are the benefits of food processing?......................................5 Box 2 Do's and don'ts when harvesting .................................................10 Box 3 Storing potatoes for food use - tips to reduce post harvest losses ....15 Box 4 The aims of processing .................................................................19 Box 5 Factors that affect the rate of drying ...........................................30 Box 6 The basics of drying .....................................................................30 Box 7 Factors to consider when selecting a dryer...................................33 Box 8 Fermented pickle - Starter culture .................................................37 Box 9 Factors to consider when building a dryer ...................................57 Table 1Optimum post-harvest storage temperatures for fruit and vegetables ................................................................14 Table 2Pasteurisation time for different bottle sizes................................ 21 Table 3The acidity of common fruit and vegetables .............................. 23 Table 4Description of main pre-treatment and processing techniques with their equipment requirements .......................................................25 Table 5Effect of different types of processing on vitamin content ..........27 Table 6Advantages and disadvantages of sun drying ............................31 Table 7 Role of ingredients in jam-making ...............................................35 Table 8 Best practices to ensure high quality products.........................40/41 Table 9 Advantages and disadvantages of different packaging materials....44