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Abstract: Many of the cost pressures that mushroom growers incur are in the post-harvest area. These pressures arise not only from increased costs but from crop losses that occur after harvesting. The normal post-harvest chain in New South Wales has been for mushrooms to be graded by hand into cartons as they are picked. The cartons are then weighed, statically cooled, then transported to market in non-refrigerated trucks. This system features: - poor temperature management;- physical damage to the mushrooms; and - inefficient handling. By adopting an integrated approach to post-harvest handling an imporved chain has been developed that cuts losses considerably and improves the quality of mushrooms available to the consumer.
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