Joaquin H. Hasperué

• PhD - Agronomical Engineer
• Researcher full time - Professor at Faculty of Engineering at National University of La Plata

Background During the processing of spent coffee grounds (SCGs) several residues are obtained, which are mostly disposed of in landfills. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive waste management strategy for these residues. This study evaluates the potential of SCGs as a biofertilizer by assessing their effects on lettuce leaves and the release...

The postharvest quality of agricultural products is influenced by various factors, including pre-harvest physiological disorders, pathogenincidence, genetic factors, and handling practices. Postharvest research aims to reduce losses, maintain quality, and expand markets byunderstanding these factors and developing better technologies. The methods t...

Despite the good postharvest performance of alstroemeria flowers, leaf yellowing is one of the most important signs of senescence and decay, as well as the flower size and time to abscission. In this work, we tested the effect of 50 μmol m−2 s−1 white (WL, broad spectrum) and red-blue (RBL, 40:60, 630 + 465 nm) light-emitting diodes on cut alstroem...

Riboflavin (vitamin B 2) generally is recognized as a safe (GRAS) additive. It is used in food to fortify products with low natural content or compensate for the possible vitamin losses during processing. In this work, we studied the effect of pre-storage riboflavin dips on the quality maintenance of fresh-cut pepper (Capsicum annum L). We initiall...

This work explored a short light treatment performance to improve postharvest life and nutrients of broccoli heads stored at 5 °C and 93 % RH up to 22 d. A white LED was used as a light source. The intensity and exposure times were 9.5 W m‐2 and 3 h per day. Compared to dark storage, the light treatment delayed color changes and preserved chlorophy...

White light illumination during retail has been suggested as a simple, non-chemical way to extend the shelf-life of green vegetables. Unfortunately, the influence that key factors like radiation intensity and photoperiod have on the efficacy of such treatments efficacy is barely understood. Herein, we evaluated the influence that the intensity and...

El Partido de La Plata y localidades vecinas constituyen la región de mayor producción de flores de corte de Argentina, la cual abastece de una amplia diversidad de especies florales a distintos puntos del país. La producción la realizan principalmente productores de tipo familiar, generando ingresos y mano de obra para la región. Uno de los proble...

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of harvest at maturity on the composition, quality, and postharvest life of zapallito squash (Cucurbita maxima var. zapallito). Fruit were harvested at three developmental stages - small, medium, and large, with 30, 70, and 90±10-mm diameter, respectively - and were stored at 0 and 5°C for 26...

Background: Citrus is one of the most economically important horticultural crops in the world. Citrus are vulnerable to the postharvest decay caused by Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum, which are both wound pathogens. To date, several non-chemical postharvest treatments have been investigated for the control of both pathogens, trying to provid...

A large amount of citrus waste is generated annually. This waste is of great economic worth, since it contains high levels of polyphenols, which have attracted scientific interest due to their potent antimicrobial and antiradical activities. Pretreatment is a crucial step that precedes the extraction process and influences the yields and quality of...

Yellowing is the most evident symptom of senescence in green vegetables during postharvest storage. As chlorophyll synthesis is promoted by blue light, illumination would be a clean alternative to maintain healthier vegetables for longer. In this paper was assessed the effect of white-blue light-emitting diodes (WB LED) on outer and inner leaves (O...

Given the proscription of using chemicals from synthesis, the alternatives for postharvest management of organic produce are limited. Consequently, great interest is being devoted to develop and optimize alternative postharvest approaches. In this work we tested mild heat treatments for green and red fresh-cut peppers and evaluated their effect on...

Loss of sugars contributes to accelerate postharvest senescence of broccoli. Several treatments have been devel-oped to delay senescence, but in many cases their effects on sugar metabolism were not analyzed. We studied the effect of harvest at different times of day (08:00, 13:00 and 18:00 h) and of several postharvest treatments as heat treatment...

Broccoli is an important component of the human diet with a high nutritional value. This vegetable is harvested when its development is not complete, triggering a quick senescence that is accompanied by chlorophyll degradation and a shortening of shelf life. Recently it was shown that the time of the day at which the broccoli is harvested can influ...

Degreening caused by chlorophyll degradation is the most evident visual manifestation of broccoli senescence and deterioration. In this work, the effect of 1-MCP on color change, chlorophyll degradation and expression of genes associated to chlorophyll catabolism was evaluated during postharvest storage. 1-MCP treatment markedly delayed degreening...

Broccoli heads were harvested at different times of the day (sunrise, midday and sunset) and then stored at 20 °C for 5 d. The samples harvested at sunset showed the lowest loss of colour and chlorophyll degradation, those picked at dawn had the highest degreening, whereas heads harvested at midday showed an intermediate behaviour. As broccoli shel...