Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
cious' develops scald disorder during storage if picked too early but develops
water core if left on the tree too long.
If immediately consuming or processing, you want the fruit to be fully
ripe; firmness, texture, and taste are good indicators of ripeness. If the fruit
is to be stored inside a refrigerator for an extended period or in controlled
atmosphere storage, you will want to pick the fruit after it is mature but not
fully ripe.
Gauging ripeness. Many methods have been used to determine the ripeness
stage of apples, including the number of days from full bloom, the air temper-
ature, the sugar concentration, and the skin and ground color. Results from
these methods vary too much due to weather and cultural practices to be
reliable. Measuring ethylene production is more accurate, but it requires ad-
vanced equipment and training. Two methods have emerged that are reliable
and easy.
As fruits ripen, they soften. Handheld firmness meters quickly and accur-
ately determine fruit firmness. Testers cost anywhere from one hundred to
several hundred dollars and are available from orchard supply companies.
To use the meter, remove just the peel of the apple over a small area. Special
peelers make this process quick, easy, and reproducible. Some meters come
with interchangeable tips to allow them to be used on different fruits. Sim-
ply press the meter against the flesh of the apple and take the reading. Take
readings from several representative samples to determine an average firm-
ness. For apples, a firmness of 16 pounds at harvest for storage apples and
10 to 14 pounds for fresh sales are about average. You will probably use
different values, depending on the variety and whether the fruit will go to
controlled atmosphere storage, refrigeration, or fresh markets. By correlating
readings with the starch test described below, you can develop a chart of
suitable firmness values for your varieties and marketing strategy.
When using a firmness meter, use uniform-sized fruits and avoid those
that are larger than average. Testing only large apples will give you mislead-
ing readings. Likewise, do not test apples that have developed water core.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search