SKILL BASED SUBJECTS (SBS)

III YEAR – VI SEMESTER

COURSE CODE: 7SBS6B4

COURSE II – FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRESERVATION SKILLS

QUESTION NO. – 2

Harvest handling

Maturity index for fruits and vegetables

The principles dictating at which stage of maturity a fruit or vegetable should be harvested are crucial
to its subsequent storage and marketable life and quality. Post-harvest physiologists distinguish three
stages in the life span of fruits and vegetables: maturation, ripening, and senescence. Maturation is
indicative of the fruit being ready for harvest. At this point, the edible part of the fruit or vegetable is
fully developed in size, although it may not be ready for immediate consumption. Ripening follows or
overlaps maturation, rendering the produce edible, as indicated by taste. Senescence is the last stage,
characterized by natural degradation of the fruit or vegetable, as in loss of texture, flavour, etc.
(senescence ends at the death of the tissue of the fruit). Some typical maturity indexes are described in
following sections.

Skin colour:

This factor is commonly applied to fruits, since skin colour changes as fruit ripens or matures. Some
fruits exhibit no perceptible colour change during maturation, depending on the type of fruit or
vegetable. Assessment of harvest maturity by skin colour depends on the judgment of the harvester,
but colour charts are available for cultivars, such as apples, tomatoes, peaches, chilli peppers, etc.

Optical methods:

Light transmission properties can be used to measure the degree of maturity of fruits. These methods
are based on the chlorophyll content of the fruit, which is reduced during maturation. The fruit is
exposed to a bright light, which is then switched off so that the fruit is in total darkness. Next, a sensor
measures the amount of light emitted from the fruit, which is proportional to its chlorophyll content
and thus its maturity.

Shape:

The shape of fruit can change during maturation and can be used as a characteristic to determine
harvest maturity. For instance, a banana becomes more rounded in cross-sections and less angular as
it develops on the plant. Mangoes also change shape during maturation. As the mango matures on the
tree the relationship between the shoulders of the fruit and the point at which the stalk is attached
may change. The shoulders of immature mangoes slope away from the fruit stalk; however, on more
mature mangoes the shoulders become level with the point of attachment, and with even more
maturity the shoulders may be raised above this point.
Size:

Changes in the size of a crop while growing are frequently used to determine the time of harvest. For
example, partially mature cobs of Zea mays saccharata are marketed as sweet corn, while even less
mature and thus smaller cobs are marketed as baby corn. For bananas, the width of individual fingers
can be used to determine harvest maturity. Usually a finger is placed midway along the bunch and its
maximum width is measured with callipers; this is referred to as the calliper grade.

Aroma:

Most fruits synthesize volatile chemicals as they ripen. Such chemicals give fruit its characteristic
odour and can be used to determine whether it is ripe or not. These doors may only be detectable by
humans when a fruit is completely ripe, and therefore has limited use in commercial situations.

Fruit opening:

Some fruits may develop toxic compounds during ripening, such as ackee tree fruit, which contains
toxic levels of hypoglycine. The fruit splits when it is fully mature, revealing black seeds on yellow
arils. At this stage, it has been shown to contain minimal amounts of hypoglycine or none at all. This
creates a problem in marketing; because the fruit is so mature, it will have a very short post-harvest
life. Analysis of hypoglycine ‘A’ (hyp.) in ackee tree fruit revealed that the seed contained appreciable
hyp. at all stages of maturity, at approximately 1000 ppm, while levels in the membrane mirrored
those in the arils. This analysis supports earlier observations that unopened or partially opened ackee
fruit should not be consumed, whereas fruit that opens naturally to over 15 mm of lobe separation
poses little health hazard, provided the seed and membrane portions are removed. These
observations agree with those of Brown et al. (1992) who stated that bright red, full sized ackee
should never be forced open for human consumption.

Leaf changes:

Leaf quality often determines when fruits and vegetables should be harvested. In root crops, the
condition of the leaves can likewise indicate the condition of the crop below ground. For example, if
potatoes are to be stored, then the optimum harvest time is soon after the leaves and stems have died.
If harvested earlier, the skins will be less resistant to harvesting and handling damage and more prone
to storage diseases.

Abscission:

As part of the natural development of a fruit an abscission layer is formed in the pedicel. For example,
in cantaloupe melons, harvesting before the abscission layer is fully developed results in inferior
flavoured fruit, compared to those left on the vine for the full period.

Firmness:

A fruit may change in texture during maturation, especially during ripening when it may become
rapidly softer. Excessive loss of moisture may also affect the texture of crops. These textural changes
are detected by touch, and the harvester may simply be able to gently squeeze the fruit and judge
whether the crop can be harvested. Today sophisticated devices have been developed to measure
texture in fruits and vegetables, for example, texture analyzers and pressure testers; they are
currently available for fruits and vegetables in various forms. A force is applied to the surface of the
fruit, allowing the probe of the penetrometer or texturometer to penetrate the fruit flesh, which then
gives a reading on firmness. Hand held pressure testers could give variable results because the basis
on which they are used to measure firmness is affected by the angle at which the force is applied. Two
commonly used pressure testers to measure the firmness of fruits and vegetables are the Magness-
Taylor and UC Fruit Firmness testers (Figure 2.1). A more elaborate test, but not necessarily more
effective, uses instruments like the Instron Universal Testing Machine. It is necessary to specify the
instrument and all settings used when reporting test pressure values or attempting to set standards.

The Agricultural Code of California states that “Bartlett pears shall be considered mature if they
comply with one of the following: (a) the average pressure test of not less than 10 representative
pears for each commercial size in any lot does not exceed 23 lb (10.4 kg); (b) the soluble solids in a
sample of juice from not less than 10 representative pears for each commercial size in any lot is not
less than 13%” (Ryall and Pentzer, 1982). This Code defines minimum maturity for Bartlett pears and
is presented in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1 Minimum maturity standard (expressed as minimum soluble solids required and maximum
Magness-Taylor test pressure allowed) of fresh Bartlett pears for selected pear size ranges (adapted
from Ryall and Pentzer, 1982).

Pear Size* 6.0 cm to 6.35 cm £ 6.35 cm

Minimum Soluble Solids (%) Maximum Test Pressure (kg)
Below 10% 8.6 9.1
10% 9.1 9.5
11% 9.3 9.8
12% 9.5 10.0

*Pear size expressed as maximum diameter (cm)

Table 2.1 can be simplified by establishing a minimum tolerance level of 13% soluble solids as
indicator of a pear’s maturity and in this way avoid the pressure test standard control (California Pear
Bulletin No. 1, 1972, California Tree Fruit Agreement, Sacramento, CA):

Figure 2.1 Pressure tester used to measure firmness of fruits and vegetables.
Juice content:

The juice content of many fruits increases as the fruit matures on the tree. To measure the juice
content of a fruit, a representative sample of fruit is taken and then the juice extracted in a standard
and specified manner. The juice volume is related to the original mass of juice, which is proportional
to its maturity. The minimum values for citrus juices are presented in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2 Minimum juice values for mature citrus.

Citrus fruit Minimum juice content (%)

Naval oranges 30
Other oranges 35
Grapefruit 35
Lemons 25
Mandarins 33
Clementines 40

Oil content and dry matter percentage:

Oil content can be used to determine the maturity of fruits, such as avocados. According to the
Agricultural Code in California, avocados at the time of harvest and at any time thereafter, shall not
contain in weight less than 8% oil per avocado, excluding skin and seed (Mexican or Guatemalan race
cultivars). Thus, the oil content of an avocado is related to moisture content. The oil content is
determined by weighing 5-10 g of avocado pulp and then extracting the oil with a solvent (e.g.,
benzene or petroleum ether) in a destillation column. This method has been successful for cultivars
naturally high in oil content (Nagy and Shaw, 1980).

Figure 2.2 Distillation column used for oil determination.

A round flask is used for the solvent. Heat is supplied with an electric plate and water recirculated to
maintain a constant temperature during the extraction process (Figure 2.2). Extraction is performed
using solvents such as petroleum ether, benzene, diethyl ether, etc., a process that takes between 4-6
h. After the extraction, the oil is recovered from the flask through evaporation of the water at 105°C in
an oven until constant weight is achieved.

Moisture content

During the development of avocado fruit the oil content increases and moisture content rapidly
decreases (Olaeta-Coscorroza and Undurraga-Martinez, 1995). The moisture levels required to obtain
good acceptability of a variety of avocados cultivated in Chile are listed in Table 2.3.

Table 2.3 Moisture content of avocado fruit cultivated in Chile.

Moisture content
Cultivar
(%)
Negra de la Cruz 80.1
Bacon 77.5
Zutano 80.5
Fuerte 77.9
Edranol 78.1
Hass 73.8
Gwen 78.4
Whitesell 79.1

Sugars: