Aman Ullah Malik

University of Agriculture Faisalabad ·  Institute of Horticultural Sciences

Oxalic acid (OA) is a unique organic acid that commonly occurs in plants with distinct functions in modulating metabolic processes. To date, the role of OA has primarily been studied in the deactivation of copper-containing preservatives, detoxification of aluminium toxicity and remediation of organic pollutants. During the last two decades, OA has...

Food waste is one of the major sustainability issues that need to be addressed due to its negative impacts on the economy, environment, and food security. To develop food waste reduction policies on regional and global level, it is mandatory to have a clear understanding of the various factors prompting food waste at household level and the extent...

Inferior quality fruit from young ‘Kinnow’ orchards along with tree decline in early age is a significant challenge to citrus growers in Pakistan. Improving fruit quality of young orchards is indispensable to obtain early profit from an orchard but is often neglected by the growers. A project was planned to assess the impact of fertilizers (phospho...

Young ‘Kinnow’ mandarin orchards have inferior fruit quality in terms of thick rind, less juice and low eating quality. The present research experiment was aimed at evaluating the effect of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) nutrients on rind and fruit quality at different harvesting times. Young trees (6 years old) were supplied with fertilizers con...

‘Pineapple’ sweet orange is an important citrus species being grown at commercial scale in Pakistan. Due to inadequate supply of macro along with micronutrients, its productivity and quality is not up to the required standard as compare to other citrus producing countries. Therefore, current study was designed in order to investigate the effect soi...

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. Italic) is rich in nutrition. However, it is susceptible to yellowing after harvest, leading to nutritional and economic losses. In this study, diacetyl, a natural food additive compound, was selected to inhibit the yellowing of broccoli florets and maintain the nutrient quality during storage time. It was found...

This research aimed to screen out safe and effective inhibitors of enzymatic browning from food-derived sulfur-containing compounds. Among eighteen candidate compounds, three were found to reduce the browning of fresh potato mashes. One of these compounds, S-furfuryl thioacetate (S-Ft) at only 0.04 and 0.07 mM inhibited the browning of fresh potato...

Strawberry fruits are highly perishable and susceptible to microbial decay. In this study, influence of atmospheric pressure, postharvest delay in hypobaric treatment, and combined effect of pressure and exposure duration on storage quality of strawberries were evaluated. Treatment at 40 kPa for 4 h without postharvest delay inhibited fungal decay...

Fruits and vegetables are the pivotal sources of essential elements (vitamins and min- erals), whose deficiency may cause different kinds of health issues; however, due to non-judicious use of pesticides and unhygienic practices in the supply chain, fresh produce gets contaminated. These contaminants could be minimized by cooking, blanching, and ch...

Chilli is one of the most important spices used in the word. It is attacked by fusarium wilt and causes huge losses. To manage this diseases, synthetic fungicides were evaluated under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Under in vitro conditions, ten fungicides (Electus, Nativo, Zandar, Bloom, Evito, Novice, Nanok, Kasumin and Meishile) were evaluated...

Foliar application of mineral nutrients, proteins, and plant growth regulators is frequently practiced on strawberries for better yield and extended harvest period. Here, we evaluated the influence of 24-epibrassinolide, a brassinosteroid, on strawberry plant growth, yield, and fruit quality. Healthy strawberry plants were foliar sprayed with 1, 2...

Food waste is one of the major sustainability issues that need to be addressed due to its huge negative impacts on economy, environment and food security. To develop a food waste reduction policies on regional and global level, it is mandatory to have a clear understanding of the various factors that prompting food waste at household level and the...

Fresh-cut potatoes are susceptible to enzymatic browning. In this study, the effect of isoleucine (Ile) on the browning of fresh-cut potatoes was evaluated, and the mechanism by which Ile influenced the browning was revealed. Results showed that exogenous Ile application could reduce the browning of fresh-cut potato chips. At 2–4 °C, control chips...

Guava being highly chilling sensitive fruit exhibits limited storability. In two separate studies, guava cv. Sandhuri fruit treated with L-arginine (0, 1, 2 or 3 mM) were kept at either 10±1°C with 90±5% RH (Study-1) and 5±1°C with 90±5% RH (Study-2). Results indicated that application of 1 mM arginine was effective for maintaining higher firmness...

Poor tree nutrient management significantly reduce productivity and quality of citrus fruit. Hence in three separate experiments, exogenous supplemental application of 0.5 mL L−1 ‘Primo’ (Ascophylum nodosum seaweed extract + amino acid and) + 0.01% ‘Tween 20′) was sprayed on citrus cvs. ‘Kinnow’, ‘Feutrell's Early’ mandarins and ‘Blood Red’ orange...

Post-harvest loss is a serious issue to address challenge of food security. A solar-grid hybrid cold storage system was developed and designed for on-farm preservation of perishables. Computational Fluid Dynamic analysis was performed to assess airflow and temperature distribution inside the cold chamber. The system comprises a 21.84 m3 cubical col...

In recent year, the demand for guava fruit has been increasing in domestic and international markets. However, guava fruit is extremely perishable due to the short shelf life and rapid over-ripening of the fruits suggesting the need for practical tools to extend their shelf-life. In the present study, the efficiency of calcium nitrate treatment was...

High pesticide residues in fresh produce is a serious food safety issue. This study was aimed at assessing the pesticides residues in some important vegetables and fruits marketed in Faisalabad, Pakistan and the impact of sonolytic ozonation (O3/US) treatment in removing these contaminants. From a short grower’s survey, five registered and mostly u...

‘Samar Bahisht Chaunsa’ and ‘Sufaid Chaunsa’ are highly admired commercial mango cultivars of Pakistan in domestic and international markets. Fruit fly being a quarantine pest has become a significant barrier in mango export trade and needs specific postharvest disinfestation treatment before export to certain countries. Presently, postharvest vapo...

Increasing foodborne illnesses linked with the consumption of contaminated food pose serious health risks. Fresh fruits and vegetables can potentially be contaminated (microbes/chemicals) throughout the supply chain. Various chemical and thermal approaches have been used in the past to decontaminate fresh produce, which have had a negative impact o...

Effect of low temperature and low oxygen concentration on biochemical attributes, antioxidant enzyme activities, phenolics profile and expression of phenylpropanoid pathway-related genes was investigated in crabapple (Malus profusion) fruit. Crabapple fruit were kept at room temperature (RT, 20 ± 2 °C and 25 ± 2 °C alternatively at 12 h cycle) or l...

Enzymatic browning is an important issue affecting the quality and shelf life of fresh-cut potato. Previous research showed post-cut sodium chloride (NaCl) dipping treatment doesn’t have anti-browning effect on fresh-cut potato. In this research, the influence of pre-cut NaCl solution treatment on browning, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and ami...

The effect of ascorbic acid [AA (40 mmol L-1)] and oxalic acid [OA (2 mmol L-1)] on browning of litchi fruit was investigated under 5% CO2 + 1% O2 controlled atmosphere (CA) and compared with air at 5±1°C for 28 days. The combined application of AA and OA suppressed browning index, soluble quinones, and activities of polyphenol oxidase and peroxida...

Plant growth regulators (Kinetin, GA3 and Wokozim) and fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassiumand calcium) alone and in various combinations were applied to young ‘Kinnow’ mandarin trees to improve their quality. Fruit harvested at commercial maturity was analyzed at harvest and seven days after storage at ambient conditions. Results revealed...

Chilling injury (CI) is the major limitation in shelf life extension and quality conservation of sweet pepper fruits subjected to below optimum storage temperature (<10 ◦C). In the current work, the effect of hot water (HW) treatment (45 ◦C for 15 min), methyl salicylate (MS, 0.05 mmol L− 1), and the combined treatment (HW + MS) of HW and MS was in...

Grafting has been reported as a factor regulating the metabolome of a plant. Therefore, a comprehensive metabolic profile and comparative analysis of metabolites were conducted from fully mature fruit of pumpkin-grafted watermelon (PGW) and a self-rooted watermelon (SRW). Widely targeted LC-ESI-MS/MS metabolomics approach facilitated the simultaneo...

Inappropriate use of pesticides and unhygienic supply chains contaminate fresh fruit and vegetables with health-hazardous micro-organisms and chemical residues. Here, combined efficacy of aqueous ozone and ultrasound to disinfect and decontaminate strawberry fruits from food-borne microbial pathogen and pesticide residues was evaluated. Strawberry...

Fruit fly infestation is the major concern in commercial guava production globally, which limits its marketing opportunities, especially export to high end markets. Vapour heat treatment (VHT) technology is used for quarantine purposes in various tropical fruits for export, however, detailed information is lacking on its impacts on fruit quality an...

The effect of Aloe vera (ALV) coating was studied on chillies at 10 ± 1°C for 28 days. ALV gel-coated chillies showed reduced weight loss, disease incidence, red chili percentage, respiration rate, electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion contents. The ALV coating maintained general acceptance in terms of visual quality and mark...

Estimation of on-tree mango maturity is essential for the prediction of harvest time. Dry matter (DM) is a useful index in deciding mango maturity, and post-harvest quality. Existing NIR based maturity meters employ machine learning regressors to predict a maturity index value (such as DM, oBrix, or etc.) and then impose a hard threshold on predict...

Aloe vera (ALV) with its unique nutritional profile is being used for food, health, and nutraceutical industries globally. Due to its organic nature, ALV gel coating has created lot of interest for exploring its potential in extending the shelf and storage life of fresh produce. ALV gel coating plays imperative role in delaying fruit ripening by lo...

Citrus is the major tree fruit crop grown and traded worldwide. Citrus industry around the globe has been facing deterioration in fruit cosmetic quality and increased farmgate rejections, mainly due to high incidence of rind blemishes. Rind blemishes are caused by various biotic (diseases and insects) and abiotic (environmental, physical and physio...

Perishable nature of strawberry poses serious challenges in maintaining quality and extending its market life. In this study, efficacy of macro‐perforated polyethylene terephthalate polyester (PET), low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) and composite film packaging (PET+LDPE) was evaluated to inhibit fungal decay and retain nutritional and organoleptic a...

Browning is the major issue affecting the quality and shelf-life of fresh-cut potatoes. In this paper, in order to study the influences of maturity on browning and its mechanism, potatoes were harvested at three different stages, and the browning degrees, related physiological and biochemical properties of potatoes were evaluated. The results showe...

Mango is highly valued crop traded worldwide. Fruit fly is serious issue in mango producing countries, and being a quarantine pest, needs specific disinfestation treatments to fruit before export. This study was aimed to assess the effect of hot water quarantine treatment on two commercial mango cultivars for mango export to China. Mature, physical...

Maturity estimation is critical for harvesting fruit at the correct time which in turn results in good quality and longer shelf life of fruit. Researchers have explored several fruit maturity indicators over the past years including chronological, physical and biochemical (destructive) features. In recent years, various rapid non-destructive techni...

Extended hot water quarantine treatment (HWQT) is a commercial phytosanitary measure used for fruit fly disinfestation in mangoes. These studies were targeted to evaluate the physiological behaviour and qualitative response of hot water treated fruits of late maturing mango cv. Sufaid Chaunsa under two different commercial shipment conditions inclu...

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most important fruit crops worldwide. Mango has a long history of cultivation in Indo-Pak region which resulted in the development of novel regional germplasm as well as many famous mango cultivars. For sustaining the mango production especially in the present scenario of changing climate, it is important t...

Globally, the vegetable industry is coming into the limelight due to its increasing role in food security. Pakistan is one of the major vegetables producing countries in the world. However, due to lack of awareness and access to new technology and resources, the small landholders are unable to get potential yield and quality of vegetables to get hi...

Chilgoza belongs to the Pinaceae family of the kingdom Plantae. It is one of the most expensive fruit in the world. It is an evergreen and naturally grown tree of northern temperate region. The trees are small to medium in size with horizontal branches, compact in habit and growing at the elevation of 1800-3350 meters. Chilgoza word is derived from...

Onion (Allium cepa L.), locally famous as “Piaz”, occupies a prominent place among commercial crops of Pakistan, by supplementing the income of small/marginal land-hold farmers. One of the major constraints of onion farming in Pakistan is poor nursery due to adoption of traditional planting methods and overfertilization, which ultimately increases...

Green chilies are highly perishable with limited postharvest life which substantially affects its quality and market potential. The present study was part of an ACIAR-funded project aiming at evaluating the effect low cost Glad wrap film packaging (GWFP) on eight commercial green chili cultivars (Kunri-1, Longi, Talhari, Skyline 1 and 3, Super-hot,...

Stem end rot (SER) is a fungal disease complex that poses a major threat to the delivery of quality mangoes from Pakistan to export markets. The dynamics of this disease remain unclear but must be elucidated so that effectiveness of disease management can be improved. The present study sought to describe the infection process and delineate a diseas...

Chilling injury in cucumber is the major issue under low temperature storage, which substantially affects cosmetic quality and market value of fruits. Present study was aimed to assess the effect of L-arginine to alleviate surface pitting caused due to chilling injury and response of various quality attributes during cold storage (5 ± 1 °C; RH 90 ±...

Fresh fruits and vegetables have higher moisture contents and deteriorate over a short period of time if not handled appropriately. Available storage technologies such as refrigeration and controlled atmospheres are expensive as these need con‐ tinuous energy for system operation throughout the whole supply chain. So, the use of drying technique...

Comprehensive report on mango quality

Citrus reticulata Blanco cv. 'Kinnow' (tangerine) is cultivated on a large scale in Pakistan and the domestic need is met by local production. In January 2017, 'Kinnow' fruits exhibiting symptoms of soft rot were observed in fruit markets of Faisalabad, Pakistan, with 9% disease incidence. Initially soft lesions were observed on the skin of the fru...

Fresh fruits and vegetables have higher moisture contents and deteriorate over a short period of time if not handled appropriately. Available storage technologies such as refrigeration and controlled atmospheres are expensive as these need continuous energy for system operation throughout the whole supply chain. So, the use of drying techniques is...

These three years studies (2017-2019) comprised of integrated approaches aimed at optimizing year-round production technology for reducing rind blemishes and improving fruit quality of young Kinnow mandarin orchard. Apart from judicious pruning, weed management, application of Bordeaux paste and irrigation as per needs, several trials were conducte...

Postharvest skin browning of litchi is the major issue which substantially affects its visual quality and market potential. Effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) was studied to manage its surface browning and various quality attributes during storage at 5 ± 1 °C. It was noted that fruits kept under MAP exhibited reduced decay, browning inde...

Two separate studies were conducted to compare and evaluate the storability/shipping potential and fruit quality of ‘‘Kinnow’’ mandarin fruit, harvested from four districts [Sargodha (SGD), Khanewal (KHW) Toba Tek Singh (TTS) and Vehari (VHR)] of Punjab province, Pakistan. Fruits were harvested at commercial maturity and evaluated for physico-chemi...

Changes in fruit quality attributes of ambient and low temperature stored ""kinnow mandarin"" with respect to geographic locality. Abstract Two separate studies were conducted to compare and evaluate the storability/shipping potential and fruit quality of ""Kinnow"" mandarin fruit, harvested from four districts [Sargodha (SGD), Khanewal (KHW) Toba...

Low productivity and poor fruit quality of ‘Kinnow’ mandarin (Citrus nobilis Lour × C. deliciosa Tenora) are major issues faced by growers. Moringa (Moringa olifera L.) leaf extract (MLE) being rich in minerals, growth hormone (cytokinins), phenolic compounds and antioxidants is considered as promising natural growth promoter for plants. Hence, the...

The ability of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid to suppress post-harvest infection with green mould Penicillium digitatum and blue mould P. italicum on three citrus species Citrus reticulata ‘Kinnow’, C. limon ‘Meyer Lemon’, and C. limetta ‘Mosambi’ was evaluated in a dose-response study. Salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) were applied to t...

Hot water treatment, Mango, Disease Incidence, cv. Sufaid Chaunsa

During 2016, a survey was conducted in 20 commercial peachorchards in Soan Valley, a region of Punjab Province. Fruits atmaturity were harvested and stored at 0 ± 1 °C for 28 days.After storage, symptoms appeared as small, circular to oval,light brown lesions (2–5 mm diameter), which gradually en-larged in size leading to total fruit rot. Small (3...

Peach (Prunus persica L.) fruits exhibit limited postharvest shelf and storage life due to rapid softening. Therefore, in the present study effect of cold storage was investigated on postharvest chilling injury (CI) and fruit quality during ripening following cold storage on five peach cultivars including 'Peach Select No. 3' (PS-3), 'Florida Gold'...

Delicate fruit of strawberry is susceptible to high temperature stress and fungal infection. An extensive spray program is usually adapted to secure yield and fruit quality which sometimes pose a serious threat to consumer health. However, development of eco-friendly, economical and safer strategies has always been in focus of R&D sector. In this s...

Litchi fruit were treated with methionine [(0.25%) MN] and cysteine [(025%) CN] alone or in combination, and kept under 1% O2 + 5% CO2 controlled atmosphere (CA) at 5 ± 1ºC for 28 days. Among different treatments, CN was most effective to inhibit browning, than MN and CN + MN under CA conditions. Application of 0.25% CN significantly delayed browni...

Kinnow mandarin is the prime citrus cultivar of Pakistan having appealing taste and color enhancing consumer’s acceptability. For the last few years, citrus especially Kinnow industry is facing cosmetic quality issues due to fungal diseases (melanose, citrus scab); harvested crop partially and sometimes completely rejected by exporters at farmgate....

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology is gaining popularity worldwide for its potential of extending shelf life of fresh produce with better fruit quality. The current study was conducted to evaluate the influence of Modified Atmosphere packaging (MAP) on storability and shipping potential of ‘Samar Bahisht Chaunsa’ mangoes at two differen...

Samar Bahisht (S.B) Chaunsa is a famous mango cultivar of Pakistan. The mango fruit color is one of the main criteria of consumer’s preference. Post-storage peel color development is a serious issue in our commercial mango cv. S.B. Chaunsa. This study aims to evaluate the best storage management in order to have optimum quality of fruit when it rea...

Antibrowning effect of methionine was investigated on litchi fruit. Fruit were treated with 0.25% methionine and kept under cold-storage at 5 ± 1 °C for 28 d. Methionine treatment reduced weight loss, and inhibited fruit decay. Methionine application to litchi fruit significantly reduced pericarp browning, malondialdehyde content, hydrogen peroxide...

An understanding of variation in fruit quality in relation to tree age can help understand the issue of poor fruit quality in young orchards; however, limited information is available on the citrus fruit. In this study, the endogenous nutritional status in rind, rag, and leaves; pectin status in rind and rag; and anatomical fruit growth parameter i...

Fruit fly is the most damaging insect pest of Kinnow mandarin that causes commercial fruit drop and deteriorate quality which badly affects grower’s income. Traditionally, pheromone traps are installed by orchard growers without optimization: traps installed randomly without considering geometric locations. Present study was aimed to evaluate popul...

Stem end rot (SER) disease development is the major issue affecting the delivery of quality mangoes to distance markets, especially through sea-shipments. Non availability of registered fungicidal products in Pakistan for the management of SER disease of mango is a major hurdle to overcome this enigma. Investigations were carried out to exploit nat...

The study was conducted to assess the effect of different wax coating materials and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) on storage life and quality of ‘Kaghzi lime’ (Citrus aurantifolia Swing.) fruits. The fruits were harvested at light yellow skin color stage and treated with different wax coating materials: T1= Citrus Wax (wood resins18%, Imazali...

The conducted research focused on the impact of tree age and fruit size on postharvest respiration as well as changes in physico-chemical quality of ‘Kinnow' mandarin fruit, stored in ambient conditions (20 ± 2 °C). Fruit from three different tree age groups (6, 18 and 35-years) and fruit size (large, medium and small) groups were analyzed for resp...

This chapter focuses mainly on the applied aspects of mango packaging (fresh fruit and processed products), in the light of current and best practices in the global mango industry, as well as its future research directions. Harvested mangoes go through de-sapping, washing, sizing, and grading prior to packing. The major intelligent packaging system...

In Pakistan, peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) is an emerging fruit crop and a total of 6,339 hectares is under cultivation with 66,847 tons being produced annually. In May 2014, asymptomatic, and mature peaches were harvested from 20 orchards in Sillanwali (32°1′12.62″ N, 72°12′27.02″ E), and Soan Valley (32°1′12.62″ N, 72°12′ 27.02″ E), major pe...

Citrus is one of the most remunerative fruits in the world with an annual production of over 110 million tons, harvested from an approximate area of 18.7 million acres. Pakistan has diverse climatic and edaphic conditions for production of a range of citrus species including sweet oranges, mandarins, grapefruit, lime and lemons. Pakistan stands at...

Strawberry is an emerging fruit crop in Pakistan. In February 2015, a survey was conducted in strawberry fields of Lahore region of Punjab Province. Ripe fruits were harvested and stored at 1oC for 9 days. After storage, small, firm, light brown lesions were observed on fruits; the lesions enlarged quickly and became covered with grey masses of spo...

Strawberry is an emerging fruit crop in Pakistan. In February 2015, a survey was conducted in strawberry fields of Lahore region of Punjab Province. Ripe fruits were harvested and stored at 1 o C for 9 days. After storage, small, firm, light brown lesions were observed on fruits; the lesions enlarged quickly and became covered with grey masses of s...

Citrus is one of the most important fruit in the global market including Pakistan. World area under citrus is more than 7.60 million hectares with total annual production of 105.4 MMT. Pakistan stands at 11th and 13th position in citrus with approximately 5 lac area and more than 2 million tonnes production, in the world. The average yield per acre...

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology is gaining popularity worldwide for its potential of extending shelf life of fresh produce with better fruit quality. Effect of MAP (using Xtend® bags), was investigated on postharvest storage life and quality of mango cvs Sindhri and Sufaid Chaunsa stored at 11°C with 80-85% RH for 4 and 5 weeks respe...

‘Kinnow’ mandarin (Citrus nobilis L. × Citrus deliciosa T.) is the most important commercial citrus cultivar grown in Pakistan. Poor nutrient management practices in citrus orchards had significantly reduced its yield and fruit quality. Recent reports of Moringa olifera as a promising growth enhancer showed its potential for application in agricult...

Efficacy of L -cysteine as an anti-browning agent wa s investigated on ‘Gola ’ litchi fruit. Fruit were treated with its different concentrations (0.0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.0%) and stored at 5 � 1 � C with 90 � 5% relative humidity (RH) for 28 d. Among the used concentrations, 0.25% treatment wa s most effective. L -cysteine (0.25%) treated-fruit...

Strawberry is perishable fruit and prone to mechanical injuries due to high water content resulting in short shelf life. Therefore, study was carried out to estimate the marketable fruit and evaluate shelf life potential of strawberries packed in plastic baskets (10 kg) and transported through conventional transport. Fruit was purchased from fruit...

Export quality Kinnow mandarin production in Punjab: status, recent advances and future prospects