Pássaro Carvalho, Catarina PedroNavarro, PilarSalvador, Alejandra2012-08-032012-08-032012-08-03978-958-8406-17-6http://hdl.handle.net/10567/566From the moment in which citrus fruits are collected, to their commercialization and consumption, there is a natural decay process that leads to lose the product in a short time if processes to handle and conserve it are not made. In Colombia, loses in citrus´ postharvest are very high. In order to lessen them it is necessary to understand the biological and envi -ronmental factors related to the fruit’s decay and be familiar with the most appropriate postharvest technology to retard the senescence and keep the product’s quality as best as possible. Post har -vest handling aims to keep the product´s quality, from the harvest to the moment in which they are consumed, guaranteeing the organoleptic and nutritional quality, improving the product´s look and always applying the regulations and recommendations that are in force. Usually citrus fruits, after their collection, are transported to handling centers or packaging places in which they are submitted to a confection process for being presented in the market, or submitted to specific postharvest treatments, such as degreening or cold storage. One of the problems for competitiveness the citrus´ chain has is that national fruits do not meet the standards demanded by the internal and the external markets. This is due, mainly, to a deficient post harvest management made all over the country, starting with an inadequate harvest, a deficient selection, classification and storage and a technology insufficient to improve the look of the product, which finally means abundant discards and loses. This chapter discusses the physiological changes that take place in the postharvest, the quality requirements demanded by the market and the postharvest handling process to which citrus are submitted. All of this is to provide the knowledge necessary to commercialize the fruit, keeping the quality demanded by consumers.esCítricosCítricos - ColombiaCítricos - ProducciónCorporación Universitaria LasallistaPoscosechaCítricos - PoscosechaCítricos - CalidadCítricos - Comercialización