M. M. Lana

O peso da perda de alimentos para a sociedade: o caso das hortaliças

presentando sucessivos recordes desafras, o setor agricola brasileirodestaca-se como uma das mais impor-tantes âncoras da economia. Emcontrapartida, o Brasil tem sido consa-grado como um campeao em perdas pos-colheita e desperdicios.No atual contexto socio-politico, areducao de perdas e desperdicios e con-templada no programa

Identificação das causas de perdas pós-colheita de cenoura no varejo, Brasília-DF

Carrot post-harvest losses were evaluated for one year in four stores of a supermarket chain in Brasilia, Brazil. Sampling was performed at two stages: at reception in the store and after exclusion or removal from retail displays. The proportion of large, middle, small and broken roots was measured. Damaged roots were classified in one of the following categories and measured: splitting, forking, mishaped roots, pathological breakdown, pest damage, mechanical damage, and unidentified damage. About 86,88 + 0,66% of the roots were 12-22 cm long (middle size). Wastage presented a higher proportion of small and broken roots and a lower proportion of middle and large roots. The incidence of green top in waste decreased, when compared to the sample taken before marketing, from 23,74 + 1,11% to 13,29 + 1,37%. This is an indication that a substantial proportion of roots with green tops were sold and therefore this defect do not seem to be a factor inducing loss. About 51% of the roots delivered at the supermarket were damaged and the most important defects were mishaped roots (31,0 + 1,16%), mechanical damage (9,46 + 0,4%), and wilting (4,66 + 0,99%). The main causes of waste were mechanical damage (37,4 + 2,47%), mishaped roots (32,0 + 2,58%) and wilting (7,6 + 1,59%).

Estação de trabalho: infraestrutura para beneficiamento de hortaliças em pequenas propriedades rurais

O manuseio descuidado das hortalicas a partir da colheita contribui para o elevado volume de perdas deste grupo de alimentos. As perdas pos-colheita podem ser quantitativas, representadas pela fracao do alimento que nao e consumido mas descartado, ou qualitativas, quando se referem ao decrescimo da qualidade sensorial, nutricional e microbiologica do alimento ainda proprio para consumo. Com o objetivo de melhorar as condicoes de trabalho durante a colheita e beneficiamento de hortalicas em pequenas propriedades rurais, a Embrapa Hortalicas propos a instalacao de uma estacao de trabalho de baixo custo, composta de tres equipamentos: casa de embalagem de lona, carrinho para transporte e mesa para selecao. Estes equipamentos contribuem para preservar a qualidade da hortalica colhida, por meio da reducao dos estresses abioticos (calor, deposicao de orvalho, chuva e danos fisicos), e consequentemente, aumentam a sua durabilidade e o tempo disponivel para a sua comercializacao. Adicionalmente tem efeitos sobre a saude do trabalhador rural e sobre o rendimento do trabalho. Os efeitos beneficos sobre a saude do trabalhador incluem a reducao do tempo de exposicao ao sol e dos problemas osteo-musculares causados pelo carregamento de cargas pesadas e/ou distribuidas assimetricamente e por operacoes repetitivas e/ou posturas inadequadas. O aumento do rendimento do trabalho resulta da eliminacao de etapas repetitivas, reducao do cansaco causado pela sobrecarga do sistema musculo-esqueletico, reducao do desconforto termico e pela possibilidade de execucao do beneficiamento das hortalicas sob condicoes de chuva.

Effect of plant density and genotype on root size and recovery of Cenourete ® raw-material

Cenourete® is a cut and peeled mini carrot, produced by the abrasion of 55-60 mm cylindrical carrot root segments. The longer and the thinner the carrot root, the higher is the recovery of Cenourete®. Two new carrot genotypes obtained at Embrapa Hortalicas, Brasilia, Brazil, populations 1012568 (P68) and 1012575 (P75), and the cultivar Esplanada were evaluated in relation to the production of roots for mini carrot manufacture. Two crops were cultivated in the summer of 2010-2011 under the densities 8, 10 and 12 lines/meter in order to obtain respectively 1.06, 1.33 and 1.60 million plants/ha and harvested approximately 3 months after sowing. We evaluated the total root production (kg/ha), the diameter, the length and the weight of individual roots and the production of root pieces 60 mm long with diameter in the ranges <15 mm, 15-25 mm, 25-30 mm. Total yield of 60 mm root pieces varied from 19,000 to 34,000 kg/ha depending on treatment. Total yield from cv. Esplanada was significantly higher than yield from genotypes P68 and P75 which did not differ from each other. The new genotypes produced longer and thinner roots compared to cv. Esplanada, what resulted in higher production of smaller root pieces (diameter <15 mm) and a corresponding lower proportion of larger pieces (diameter of 25-30 mm). Plant density had no influence on the total production of root pieces but affected the recovery of particular size ranges, with the proportion of smaller pieces increasing at higher density. The amount of cut waste varied from about 3,000 to 7,000 kg/ha depending on treatment. Cv. Esplanada produced a higher mass of cut waste than P68 and P75 due to a larger amount of pieces with diameter higher than 30 mm. Although increased plant density reduced root size of all genotypes, the variation in root length and root diameter was mainly due to genotype effect.