Present State of Cold Chain and Postharvest Loss of Fruits and Vegetables in Croatia and Serbia

To elucidate key factors responsible for high postharvest loss, an analysis of the cold chain systems in Croatia and Serbia was made. It is estimated that Western Balkan Countries (WBC) annual postharvest loss of fruits and vegetables is as high as 30- 40%. In Croatia there are about 125000 t of storage capacities. Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage comprises only 27% and it is mainly used for apple. Annual apple production in Croatia in 2009 was 93355 t, which means that at least additional 40000 to 50000 t of CA storage is needed only for apple. Th e second most stored fruit in Croatia is Satsuma mandarin. Total capacity of refrigerated or frozen storage in Serbia was estimated at 500000 to 600000 t. In Serbia exist 29 CA storage facilities with a capacity between 50000 and 60000 t. Serbia has been very successful in production and export of frozen raspberries and make one-third of the world’s total exports. About 97% of Serbia’s exports go to the European Union (EU), accounting for 65% of total EU imports of this product. Beside the lack of adequate storage facilities, the second problem in Croatian and Serbian postharvest sector is the lack of experienced experts familiar with the situation on the domestic market. To improve situation and to decrease high postharvest losses of the fruits and vegetables sector there is an urgent need for establishing longterm network between all segments of this sector together to the more intensive cooperation between WBC in postharvest research.