Articles
What Are the Harvest Maturity Indices for Strawberries?
Strawberries can be harvested at two different maturities to meet marketing needs at varying distances. Color is the most critical parameter used as a maturity index for strawberry harvest. Other harvest maturity indices are size, sugar content, and taste. Non-destructive measurements using portable NIR spectroscopy devices are best suited for establishing harvest maturity indices. Strawberries… Continue reading…
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What Is the Best Blackberry Harvest Maturity Index for Quality?
Color is the chief harvest maturity index. Other appearance parameters, such as firmness, size, and weight, are also used. Chemical harvest maturity indices, especially the latter, are crucial, including total soluble solids (sugar content), titrable acidity, and taste. Blackberries for processing require different harvest maturity indices and increasingly use dry matter. Harvest maturity indices are… Continue reading…
How Does Bruise Susceptibility in Fresh Produce Impact Quality and Harvest Timing?
Bruise susceptibility varies based on the species, cultivar, and physical and physiological properties of fresh produce. The critical bruising threshold estimates the bruise susceptibility of fruits at different firmness. A critical bruising threshold has been used to develop a harvest maturity index that identifies the minimum firmness (or maximum maturity) for harvesting stone fruits. Bruising… Continue reading…
What Is the Best Plum Harvest Maturity Index?
Taste or sugar/acidity ratio is the plums’ most reliable harvest maturity index. A new plum harvest maturity indicator has been developed that combines firmness at maximum maturity with sugar content. No single quality parameter can be used alone as a harvest maturity index for plums. Plum Characteristics Plums, which are classified as climacteric fruits, have… Continue reading…
What Causes Postharvest Senescence in Fresh Produce
Senescence is one of the top two postharvest processes that cause food loss of fresh produce by curtailing shelf life. Ethylene production, programmed cell death, and cellular energy supply are significant processes associated with senescence in postharvest fresh produce. The mechanisms by which the three processes cause senescence are not entirely understood. Premature senescence and… Continue reading…
What Is the Avocado Harvest Maturity Index and How Is It Measured?
Physical and chemical parameters and crop chronology are avocado harvest maturity indices. Physical quality parameters, especially appearance, are commonly used worldwide. Dry matter content measured by near-infrared spectroscopy-based devices has become the industry standard maturity index. Sugar content is not a reliable avocado harvest maturity index. Avocado fruits go through four stages of maturity and… Continue reading…
How to Determine the Right Avocado Harvest Maturity Index for Optimal Quality
Physical and chemical parameters and crop chronology are used as harvest maturity indices for avocados. Physical quality parameters, especially appearance, are commonly used worldwide. Dry matter content measured by near-infrared spectroscopy-based devices has become the industry standard maturity index. Sugar content is not a reliable avocado harvest maturity index. Avocado fruits go through four stages… Continue reading…
