Food science articles

Fixed leaf image

Improving Avocado Quality

Quality avocados must be safe for consumption and satisfy consumer preferences like appearance and taste.   Dry matter content is crucial in estimating maturity, storage, and transport conditions, ripening duration, oil content, and consumer satisfaction.  Management during the production and postharvest stages is crucial to meet consumer preferences for avocados.  Avocados of different qualities can be… Continue reading…

How Warmer Nights Change Dry Matter Accumulation in Apples

Dry matter is the total of all solids in fruit, starch, sugars, lipids, pigments, acids, etc. We know farm management practices can influence dry matter accumulation in apples. There are also regional dissimilarities due to weather and soil differences. New findings indicate nocturnal temperature variations can also change dry matter. So how would dry matter accumulation… Continue reading…

5 Reasons to Monitor Ethylene in the Agriculture Supply Chain

In every development stage, plants produce ethylene, which can be beneficial and harmful. The ripening effect is by far the most economically crucial effect of the gas, followed by abscissing effects.   Lesser known ethylene effects that need to be controlled in the supply chain are sprouting and pathogen detection.  Ethylene is a phytohormone produced by… Continue reading…

Felix Instruments Fruit Attraction announcement. Location: Hall 5, Stand 5E06C

Felix Instruments Heads to Fruit Attraction 2022!

The Felix Instruments team is gearing up to head to Madrid for Fruit Attraction 2022! The leading fruit industry event, slated for October 4 – 6, is a tremendous opportunity to explore the latest in fruit industry trends, methods, and technology. We look forward to seeing you there and connecting you with the technology that… Continue reading…

Cantaloupe melons growing in a greenhouse

Melon Fruit: Quality, Production & Physiology

Making Sense of the Magical, Mystical Melon   Melons have been around for many millennia, and there are several varieties, both landraces, and new hybrids worldwide. Climacteric and non-climacteric ripening is seen in the various melon varieties. External inspection of sensory attributes like rind color or flavor development is not objective to decide ripeness or… Continue reading…

Over image of NIR scanner: NIR in Agriculture 2023

NIR Applications in Agriculture – Everything You Need to Know for 2023

A Guide to NIR Applications in Agriculture for 2023   Explore the “what,” “why,” and “how” of NIR spectroscopy in agriculture. From quality control to sustainable farming, breeding programs to disease detection, dive into all your questions about NIR as we look toward 2023 and beyond.   Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy using data collected by scanners… Continue reading…

apple orchard on a sunny day

Ethylene Measurement & Rootstock Influence in Apple

How Rootstocks Influence Apple Fruit Quality and Yield   Besides influencing tree growth and yield of scion cultivars, rootstocks also affect fruit maturity in apples. The experiment found a climacteric pattern, where ethylene production, respiration rates, and oxygen consumption peaked after 5–7 days in fruits produced from all rootstocks. The 17 rootstocks have significant differences… Continue reading…

Gas analyzer training title card featuring the F-950 Three Gas Anlayzer

WEBINAR RECORDING: Handheld Gas Analyzer Series Live Training

Request a Quote | Schedule a Consultation Handheld Gas Analyzer Series Training QA professionals and research teams around the world are using Felix Instruments handheld gas analysis devices to conveniently measure critical ripening gasses CO2, O2, and ethylene. Join Application Scientist Eric Munoz for an in-depth look at Felix Instruments’ entire line of handheld gas… Continue reading…

man assessing produce quality in a greenhouse

The 5 Most Important Parameters in Produce Quality Control

Quality control throughout the process of precision horticulture is vital to maximizing efficient food production. Five quality parameters are regularly relied upon for the most accurate assessment of produce quality: dry matter, soluble sugars, titrable acidity, color, and firmness. These parameters act as maturity index and can optimize quality and yield in the supply chain… Continue reading…

avocados in a box

Irradiated Avocados: Testing Gamma Treatment for Postharvest Pest Control

Quarantine pests threaten avocado yield and export, but adequate methods of control do not currently exist. Gamma radiation of fruit as a possible postharvest treatment was evaluated, but the treatment was not found to be ideal. The experiment discusses the effects of gamma treatment on sensory and internal quality parameters and correlates it to physiological… Continue reading…