An International Journal

Postharvest Biology and Technology is devoted exclusively to the publication of original papers and review articles on biological and technological research in the areas of postharvest storage, treatment, quality evaluation, packaging, handling and distribution of agronomic (including forage) and horticultural crops.


Articles on the postharvest treatment of fresh product as affecting the quality of processed product will be included, but articles on food processing will not be considered for the journal. Papers based on interdisciplinary research will be encouraged. These disciplines include ecology, entomology, plant physiology, plant pathology, molecular biology, chemistry, engineering, technology and economics.


Please bookmark this page as: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/postec.

For more information/suggestions/comments please contact AuthorSupport@elsevier.com.

Types of contribution
1. Original Research Papers (regular papers)
2. Research Notes
3. Review Articles
4. Letters to the Editor


Original research papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere, except in a preliminary form.

Research Notes are short research papers which have one or two results of particular interest or importance, but not the body of work expected in a full length paper. These Research Notes should be of immediate interest and will be published in as short a time as possible. Authors are expected to keep Research Notes very concise, with a short Abstract and Introduction, Methods referenced where possible, a combined Results and Discussion section, and a minimum number of referees. The length will be no more than 4 printed pages in total (one journal page with no figures or tables usually has about 750 words) and the Research Note must adhere to the scientific standards of the journal.

Review articles should cover subjects falling within the scope of the journal which are of active current interest. They may be submitted or invited after consultation with one of the Editors-in-Chief.

Letters to the Editor offering comment or useful critique on material published in the journal are welcomed. The decision to publish submitted letters rests purely with the Editor-in-Chief. It is hoped that the publication of such letters will permit an exchange of views which will be of benefit to both the journal and its readers.

For questions on submissions or scope please contact one of the two Editors-in-Chief at the following addresses:


For the Americas
Dr R.P. Cavalieri
Agricultural Research Center
Washington State University,
P.O. Box 646240,
Pullman, WA 99164-6240
USA
Fax: +1 (509) 335 6751
E-mail: cavalieri@wsu.edu


For the rest of the world
Dr. I.B. Ferguson
Hortresearch
120 Mt. Albert Road, Private Bag 92 169
Mt Albert, Auckland, New Zealand
Fax: +64 9 815 4202
E-mail: iferguson@hortresearch.co.nz


Online Submission of manuscripts
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the Publisher.

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to transfer copyright (for more information on copyright see http://authors.elsevier.com. This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. A letter will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript. A form facilitating transfer of copyright will be provided.

If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases: contact Rights Department, P.O. Box 800, Oxford, OX5 1DX, UK; phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail: permissions@elsevier.com


Submission to this journal proceeds totally on-line. Use the following guidelines to prepare your article. Authors can upload their article as a LaTeX or a Microsoft Word document via http://authors.elsevier.com/JournalDetail.html?PubID=503313&Precis=DESC, where you will also find a detailed description on its use. The system generates an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the article which is used for the reviewing process. It is crucial that all graphical and tabular elements be placed within the text, so that the file is suitable for reviewing. Authors, Reviewers and Editors send and receive all correspondence by e-mail and no paper correspondence is necessary.

Note: compuscripts submitted are converted into PDF for the review process but may need to be edited after acceptance to follow journal standards. For this an "editable" file format is necessary. See the section on "Electronic format requirements for accepted articles" and the further general instructions on how to prepare your article below.Once the uploading is done, our system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing. It is crucial that all graphical elements be uploaded in separate files, so that the PDF is suitable for reviewing. Authors can upload their article as a LaTex or Microsoft (MS) Word. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revisions, will be by e-mail.


Electronic format requirements for accepted articles
We accept most wordprocessing formats, but Word or LaTeX is preferred. Always keep a backup copy of the electronic file for reference and safety. Save your files using the default extension of the program used.

Wordprocessor documents
It is important that the file be saved in the native format of the wordprocessor used. The text should be in single-column format. Keep the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular, do not use the wordprocessor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc. Do not embed 'graphically designed' equations or tables, but prepare these using the wordprocessor's facility. When preparing tables, if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs, not spaces, to align columns. The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of conventional manuscripts (see also the Guide to Publishing with Elsevier: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/howtosubmitpaper). Do not import the figures into the text file but, instead, indicate their approximate locations directly in the electronic text and on the manuscript. See also the section on "Preparation of electronic" on the "Author Gateway's Quickguide" at http://www.elsevier.com. To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the 'spellchcker'function of your wordprocessor.

Preparation of manuscripts
1. Manuscripts should be written in English. Authors whose native language is not English are strongly advised to have their manuscripts checked by an English-speaking colleague prior to submission.

English language help service: Upon request, Elsevier will direct authors to an agent who can check and improve the English of their paper (before submission). Please contact authorsupport@elsevier.com for further information.

2. Manuscripts should be prepared with numbered lines, with wide margins and double spacing throughout, i.e. also for abstracts, footnotes and references.Every page of the manuscript, including the title page, references, tables, etc. should be numbered. However, in the text no reference should be made to page numbers; if necessary, one may refer to sections. Avoid excessive use of italics to emphasize part of the text.
3. Manuscripts in general should be organized in the following order:
•Title (should be clear, descriptive and not too long)
•Name(s) of author(s)
•Complete postal address(es) of affiliations
•Full telephone, Fax. no. and E-mail of the corresponding author
•Present address(es) of author(s) if applicable
•Complete correspondence address to which the proofs should be sent
•Abstract
•Key words (indexing terms), normally 3-6 items
•Introduction
•Material studied, area descriptions, methods, techniques
•Results
•Discussion
•Conclusion
•Acknowledgements and any additional information concerning research grants, etc.
•References
•Tables
•Figure captions
4. In typing the manuscript, titles and subtitles should not be run within the text. They should be typed on a separate line, without indentation. Use lower-case lettertype.
5. Elsevier reserves the privilege of returning to the author for revision accepted manuscripts and illustrations which are not in the proper form given in this guide.


Abstracts
The abstract should be clear, descriptive and not longer than 400 words.

Formulae
1. Subscripts and superscripts should be clear and not too small.
2. Give the meaning of all symbols immediately after the equation in which they are first used.
3. For simple fractions use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line.
4. Equations should be numbered serially at the right-hand side in parentheses. In general only equations explicitly referred to in the text need be numbered.
5. The use of fractional powers instead of root signs is recommended.Also powers of e are often more conveniently denoted by exp.
6. Levels of statistical significance which can be mentioned without further explanation are *P<0.05, **P<0.01 and ***P<0.001.
7. In chemical formulae, valence of ions should be given as, e.g., Ca²⁺ not as Ca⁺⁺.
8. Isotope numbers should precede the symbols, e.g., ¹⁸O.
9. The repeated writing of chemical formulae in the text is to be avoided where reasonably possible; instead, the name of the compound should be given in full. Exceptions may be made in the case of a very long name occurring very frequently or in the case of a compound being described as the end product of a gravimetric determination (e.g., phosphate as P₂O₅).

Units: The SI system should be used for all scientific and laboratory data. In certain instances it may be necessary to quote other units. These should be added in parentheses. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius. The unit 'billion' (109 in America, 1012 in Europe) is ambiguous and should not be used. Nomenclature
1. Authors and editors are,by general agreement, obliged to accept the rules governing biological nomenclature, as laid down in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, and the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
2. All biotica (crops, plants, insects, birds, mammals, etc.) should be identified by their scientific names when the English term is first used, with the exception of common domestic animals.
3. All biocides and other organic compounds must be identified by their Geneva names when first used in the text. Active ingredients of all formulations should be likewise identified.
4. For chemical nomenclature, the conventions of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and the official recommendations of the IUPAC-IUB Combined Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature should be followed.

Tables
1. Authors should take notice of the limitations set by the size and lay-out of the journal. Large tables should be avoided.Reversing columns and rows will often reduce the dimensions of a table.
2. If many data are to be presented, an attempt should be made to divide them over two or more tables.
3. Tables should be numbered according to their sequence in the text. The text should include references to all tables.
4. Each table should be typewritten on a separate page of the manuscript. Tables should never be included in the text.
5. Each table should have a brief and self-explanatory title.
6. Column headings should be brief, but sufficiently explanatory. Standard abbreviations of units of measurement should be added between parentheses.
7. Vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Leave some extra space between the columns instead.
8. Any explanation essential to the understanding of the table should be given as a footnote at the bottom of the table.

Preparation of electronic illustrations
Submitting your artwork in an electronic format helps us to produce your work to the best possible standards, ensuring accuracy, clarity and a high level of detail.


General points
•Always supply high-quality printouts of your artwork, in case conversion of the electronic artwork is problematic.
•Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
•Save text in illustrations as "graphics" or enclose the font.
•Only use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Times, Symbol.
•Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
•Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files, and supply a separate listing of the files and the software used.
•Provide captions to illustrations separately.
•Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.


A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available on our website: http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork


You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.

Formats
Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalised, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the following formats (Note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below.):


EPS: Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".
TIFF: Colour or greyscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi.
TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (colour or greyscale): a minimum of 500 dpi is required.
DOC, XLS or PPT: If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office applications please supply "as is".


Please do not:
• Supply embedded graphics in your wordprocessor (spreadsheet, presentation) document;
• Supply files that are optimised for screen use(like GIF,BMP,PIC,WPG) the resolution is too low ;
• Supply files that are too low in resolution;
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.


Colour illustrations
Submit colour illustrations as original photographs, high-quality computer prints or transparencies, close to the size expected in publication, or as 35 mm slides. Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF, EPS, or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. Polaroid colour prints are not suitable. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable colour figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in colour on the Web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduces in colour in the printed version. For colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please indicate your preference for colour print or on the Web only. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork


Please note: Because of technical complications which can arise by converting colour figures to 'grey scale' (for the printed version should you not opt for colour in print) please submit in addition usable black and white prints corresponding to all the colour illustrations.


Supplementary files


Preparation of supplementary data.
Elsevier now accepts electronic supplementary material (e-components) to support and enhance your scientific research. Supplementary files offer the Author additional possibilities to publish supporting applications, movies, animation sequences, high-resolution images, background datasets, sound clips and more. Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version of your article in Elsevier Web products, including ScienceDirect: http://www.sciencedirect.com. In order to ensure that your submitted material is directly usable, please ensure that data is provided in one of our recommended file formats. Authors should submit the material in electronic format together with the article and supply a concise and descriptive caption for each file. For more detailed instructions please visit our artwork instruction pages at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.


Files can be stored on 3&frac12 inch diskette, ZIP-disk or CD (either MS-DOS or Macintosh). This journal offers electronic submission services and supplementary data files can be uploaded via the Author Gateway page of this journal via http://www.elsevier.com.


References
1. All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list of references following the text of the manuscript. The number of references should be kept to a minimum. The manuscript should be carefully checked to ensure that the spelling of author's names and dates are exactly the same in the text as in the reference list.
2. In the text refer to the author's name (without initial) and year of publication, followed - if necessary - by a short reference to appropriate pages. Examples: "Since Peterson (1983) has shown that ..." "This is in agreement with results obtained later (Kramer, 1984, pp. 12-16)".
3. If reference is made in the text to a publication written by more than two authors the name of the first author should be used followed by "et al.". This indication, however, should never be used in the list of references. In this list names of first author and co-authors should be mentioned.
4. References cited together in the text should be arranged chronologically. The list of references should be arranged alphabetically on authors' names, and chronologically per author. If an author's name in the list is also mentioned with co-authors the following order should be used: publications of the single author, arranged according to publication dates - publications of the same author with one co-author - publications of the author with more than one co-author. Publications by the same author(s) in the same year should be listed as 1974a, 1974b, etc.
5. Use the following system for arranging your references:
a. For periodicals
Bell, C.H., 1991. Diapause and cold tolerance of larvae of Ephestia elutella. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 1, 81-93.
b. For edited symposia, special issues, etc., published in a periodical
Kimball, B.A., Idso, S.B., 1983. Increasing atmospheric CO₂: effects on crop yield, water use and climate. In: Stone, J.F., Willis, W.O. (Eds), Symp. Plant Production and Management under Drought Conditions, 4-16 October 1982, Tulsa, OK. Agric. Water Manage. 7, 55-72.
c. For books
Bouwmans, G. (Ed.), 1985. Grain Handling and Storage. Developments in Agricultural Engineering, 4. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
d. For multi-author books
Trägård, C., 1986. Energy requirements in food irridation. In: Singh, R.P. (Ed.), Energy in Food Processing. Energy in World Agriculture, 1. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 203-216.
e. For unpublished reports, departmental notes, etc.
Gull, D.D., 1981. Ripening tomatoes with ethylene. Vegetable Crops Fact Sheet, VC-29. Vegetable Crops Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
6. In the case of publications in any language other than English, the original title is to be retained. However, the titles of publications in non-Latin alphabets should be transliterated, and a notation such as "(in Russian)" or "(in Greek with English abstract)" should be added.
7. Work accepted for publication but not yet published should be referred to as "in press".
8. References concerning unpublished data and "personal communications" should not be cited in the reference list but may be mentioned in the text.

Footnotes
1. Footnotes should only be used if absolutely essential. In most cases it will be possible to incorporate the information in normal text.
2. If used, they should be numbered in the text, indicated by superscript numbers, and kept as short as possible.

Proofs
When your manuscript is received by the Publisher it is considered to be in its final form. Proofs are not be regarded as 'drafts'.


One set of proofs in PDF format will be sent to the corresponding author, to be checked for typesetting/ editing. No changes in, or additions to, the accepted (and subsequently edited) manuscript will be allowed at this stage. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.


The Publisher reserves the right to proceed with publication if corrections are not communicated. Return corrections within 3 working days of receipt of the proofs. Should there be no corrections, please confirm this.


Elsevier will do everything possible to get your article corrected and published as quickly and accurately as possible. In order to do this we need your help. When you receive the (PDF) proof of your article for correction, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Subsequent corrections will not be possible, so please ensure your first sending is complete. Note that this does not mean you have any less time to make your corrections, just that only one set of corrections will be accepted.

Offprints
The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use. Additional paper offprints can be ordered by the authors. An order form with prices will be sent to the corresponding author.

Author Services
Authors can also keep track on the progress of their accepted article, and set up e-mail alerts informing them of changes to their manuscript's status, by using the "Track a Paper"feature of Elsevier's Author Gateway .

Postharvest Biology and Technology has no page charges


Information about Postharvest Biology and Technology is available on the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/postharvbio.