User Packing Instructions- Fresh Herbs

Fresh Herbs must be handled according to the recommended postharvest handling procedures
for Fresh Herbs such as cooling, fungicide treatment, grading and sorting as per export quality
standards.
1. Harvest should be done in cool hours of the day (early morning or late
afternoon, preferably late afternoon!).

2. Fresh Herbs should be handled gently to avoid bruising (preferably workers
wearing rubber glove).

3. Oversized and damaged (bruised) Fresh Herbs should be removed.

4. Collection field crates should be very well VENTILATED and SHALLOW.
Preferably place herbs at vertically (as opposed to horizontally) in the collection
crates. Collection crates favorably should have a lid to avoid direct warm or cold
air contact.

5. Full crates should be placed immediately in cold area (or refer truck) then
transferred to the packing house for pre-cooling.

6. Full crates should be trucked to the packing house in refrigerated truck.

7. Pre-Cool the Fresh Herbs (ordinary cold room- not forced air cooling) to the
optimum recommended temperature (0-3ºC for all herbs & 10ºC for BASIL) before
packing in the ZOEpac MA bags.

8. Grade and sort Fresh Herbs as per you customer's instructions following export
quality standards.

9. Place the ZOEpac MA bag in the export boxes (follow product list guidelines
for product code).

10. Place the Fresh Herbs (after pre-cooling, grading and sorting) into the
ZOEpac MA bags.

11. Expel out as much as possible of the air from the ZOEpac bag before
closing the bag.

12. Close the ZOEpac MA bag (with rubber band or closure clip where necessary
and by folding over only in other cases-please follow the ZOEpac product list
guidelines).

13. Cooling chain MUST be maintained throughout handling and transportation
of Fresh Herbs (0-3ºC for all herbs and 10C for BASIL).

Other instructions:
1. Chives are preferably treated (spray before harvest or by dipping) with
Gibberellins (GA) at a concentration of 30ppm.
2. All Herbs should be pre-cooled and stored at 0-3C EXCEPT basillicum should be
at 10-12C.
3. Fresh herbs are highly sensitive to moisture loss (dehydration) after harvest
therefore MUST avoid direct contact with warm or cold air flow as well as
exposure to direct sun light. To do so, it is recommended to collect herbs (while
harvesting and during pre-cooling) into limited ventilated and lidded (with