What Is Dry Matter Content and Why It’s Crucial for Fresh Produce Quality?

Dry matter is measured on farms to monitor maturity and determine the optimal harvest time for climacteric fruits and vegetables. In the postharvest stage, dry matter is used for quality control for sorting and grading fresh produce. Dry matter determines the storage, transport, and ripening conditions to achieve optimum quality and extended shelf life. Wholesalers,… Continue reading…

Five Significant Research Findings on Fruit Quality Management in 2024

Fruit quality studies in 2024 aim to future-proof food production against the vagaries of climate change and to meet increasing demand. As in previous years, the focus remains on eradicating chemicals to improve food and environment safety. Research on AI-based models and tools is a standard theme, but it is diversifying to produce cost-effective versions… Continue reading…

What are Harvest Maturity Indices? Why are they Important?

Harvest maturity indices can be fresh produce’s physical, chemical, physiological, or chronological attributes. The choice of harvest maturity indices will differ and must be based on species and economics. The optimum methods to measure harvest indices are objective, quantitative, non-destructive, and easy to use. Fresh produce suffers the maximum loss and waste. One reason is… Continue reading…

What Are Kiwifruit Harvest Maturity Indices and Why Are They Important?

Dry matter content and soluble sugars are two quality parameters widely used as harvest maturity indices for kiwifruits. Dry matter is increasingly becoming the standard harvest maturity index because it is correlated to postharvest taste, consumer acceptance, and storability of kiwifruits. The two harvest maturity indices are used as they can be estimated non-destructively in… Continue reading…

The Ultimate Guide to Fruitmaps: Learn How Professionals Are Utilizing Fruitmaps in 2024

Welcome to our exclusive webinar on efficient farm management with Fruitmaps. This session is perfect for farmers, agricultural consultants, and researchers looking to enhance their farm operations using advanced technology. What You’ll Learn: Expert Guidance: Insights from industry experts on optimizing farm operations with Fruitmaps. Q&A: Watch the viewer’s questions get answered. Exclusive Access: See… Continue reading…

How to Improve Post-harvest Quality in Fresh Produce

Factors affecting post-harvest quality are determined by harvest time, method, and fresh produce maturity. Subsequent postharvest handling during precooling, sorting, grading, packaging, storage, and transport conditions will also influence fresh produce quality and marketing time. Significant differences exist in postharvest technology between developing and developed countries. Fresh produce is highly perishable and suffers from physical… Continue reading…

How to Test Pre-harvest Quality in Fresh Produce

All preharvest growing conditions and management practices affect yield and quality. Generalizations are challenging, as the same factor can have varying effects on different quality parameters of a single fruit. Recommendations for shared best practices to optimize yield and quality are given. A significant percentage of food loss is attributed to decreased yield and quality… Continue reading…

Maximizing Agricultural Quality and Efficiency: The Comprehensive Guide to Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Applications

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is used preharvest for maturity estimation, nutrient and water management, and biological stress detection. In the post-harvest stage, NIRS is used for shelf life assessment, defects and disease detection, process monitoring, sorting, packaging, retailing, and authentication. Portable NIRS devices are seeing the most development for commercial use. The good fresh produce qualities… Continue reading…

FDA’s New Final Food Product Traceability Rule: FSMA 204 Explained

Traceability is a critical aspect of modern food supply chain management, contributing to food safety, quality assurance, and the overall integrity of the food industry. The Final Rule of the FSMA 204 focuses on detailed and rapid communication of information on food products on the Food Traceability List to trace and remove unsafe food. The… Continue reading…

Why Color Remains an Important Fruit Maturity Index

Fruit color can be used as a harvest index for nearly all fruits. Fruit skin color is the basis for consumer acceptance and marketability. Fruit skin color is a valuable indicator of maturity stages and is associated with other quality parameters, including nutritional value. Non-destructive methods to estimate fruit color in the supply chain and… Continue reading…