Post-harvest treatments

Certain post-harvest treatments to fruits and vegetables can bring down spoilage significantly. A wide range of chemicals used to control post-harvest diseases include chlorine, sulphur dioxide, dichloran etc. Extension of storage life of fresh produce could be obtained by treatment with skin coatings like wax coating of fresh fruits and vegetables. Treatment of fruits with ethylene or ethylene-releasing chemicals such as  ethrel or calcium  carbide helps in the induction of early and uniform ripening.