Some retail economists have projected that as much as 50% of the dollar volume generated by the supermarket produce department will come from, fresh-cut fruits and vegetables by the end of the century (Graziano, 1993). To provide high-quality, value-added products throughout the year will require superior raw material and the optimization of all postharvest steps. Fruit and vegetable cultivars are routinely screened and selected for specific functional properties. Processors of lightly processed fruits and vegetables have selected those cultivars that, when evaluated under current cultural, postharvest, and distribution practices, meet their economic needs and the general specifications of the intended product. Although the trade and the consumer have provided incentives for such convenience products, no cultivar has been deliberately developed with the process and distribution in mind.
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