Food science articles
5 Benefits of Pairing NIR Data with Firmness Tests
When produce teams talk about better maturity decisions, they usually end up discussing more than one metric. That is why NIR data matters most when it is paired with firmness tests. NIR data gives you fast, non-destructive insight into internal quality traits such as dry matter, Brix, titratable acidity, and internal color, while firmness testing… Continue reading…
How Do Plant Growth Regulators in Fruit Production Improve Yield and Quality?
Plant growth regulators (PGRs) regulate hormonal pathways that regulate fruit set, size, shape, color, firmness, taste, and aroma. PGRs can also synchronize fruit maturity and control postharvest ripening, senescence, physiological disorders, and microbial spoilage. PGRs rarely act in isolation but rather in a network of synergistic or antagonistic interactions. PGRs applied in correct, precise amounts… Continue reading…
Major Causes of Postharvest Decline in Fresh Produce
The main causes for postharvest decline in fresh produce are mechanical damage, respiration, transpiration, ethylene, and senescence. The importance of each cause varies across classes of fresh produce, including root vegetables, leafy vegetables, flower vegetables, immature fruit vegetables, and mature fruits. Adequate technology adoption can significantly reduce postharvest decline. Around 40-50% of fruits and vegetables… Continue reading…
Difference in Modified Atmosphere Packaging for Fresh Produce: Whole vs Cut Explained
Low-processed or cut fresh produce has higher rates of respiration, transpiration, ethylene production, and microbial spoilage than whole produce. Gas composition, packing material permeability, and use of additional hurdles differ for whole and cut fresh produce. It is advisable to monitor MAP headspace gas composition in the supply chain for quality control. Cut and ready-to-eat… Continue reading…
WEBINAR: Avocados, Now with AI: How AI and Customer Feedback Just Made the Avocado Quality Meter More Accurate and Far Easier to Use
The next-generation Felix Avocado Meter is here, and this webinar gives a full look at what makes it different. In this session, Galen George, Director of Applied Science, explains how AI and customer feedback helped shape a more accurate, easier-to-use approach to avocado dry matter analysis. From stronger performance across maturity stages to a refreshed… Continue reading…
How NIR Technology Supports the Circular Economy in Agriculture
Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy-based technology makes food production circular by improving process efficiency from farm to retailer. NIR technology helps design waste reduction at critical points in the food supply chain by providing non-destructive, real-time data on the external and internal quality of food. Monitoring crops with NIR enhances food value by ensuring the safety, nutrition,… Continue reading…
Truth About Calibration: Why Factory Settings Aren’t Forever
When you first power on a new instrument, it is easy to assume the factory settings will hold steady for years. In reality, gas analyzer calibration is not a one time event. It is an ongoing process that directly affects data integrity, storage decisions, and ultimately profitability. In postharvest environments where small shifts in oxygen,… Continue reading…
Myth: You Can Tell Ripeness by Color Alone
In produce operations, the idea that you can determine fruit ripeness by color alone is persistent. It sounds practical. Walk a field or a packing line, look for the right shade, and make a decision. But when fruit ripeness testing becomes critical to quality control, color quickly shows its limits. If you rely on visual… Continue reading…
Truth About Portable Gas Sensors in Cold Storage: Condensation Isn’t Harmless
Cold storage environments are tough on equipment. Anyone who has worked in produce storage rooms, ripening facilities, or distribution centers knows that temperature swings and high humidity are part of the job. Portable gas sensors for cold storage are often treated as rugged tools that can handle it all. But there is one factor that… Continue reading…
Myth: NIR Devices Work the Same on All Cultivars
Near-infrared fruit analysis is widely used across the produce industry, but a persistent myth still circulates: that one NIR model works the same on every cultivar. The truth is that cultivar differences directly impact NIR calibration accuracy, and ignoring that reality leads to inconsistent data and poor decisions. If you rely on NIR devices for… Continue reading…
