Using innovative technologies to increase the quality of Hayward Variety
It is extremely important to establish the quality of cv Hayward fruits commonly known as “kiwi fruit,” and the stage of ripeness reached at the time of harvest because they influence both the post-harvest progress of the fruits and their storage under refrigeration, and the development of the typical colour, flavour and fragrance that determine acceptability for consumers.
Hence, the stage of ripeness must be defined with the utmost precision by applying rigorous procedures, and adequate techniques and instruments for the purpose.
The standard that currently defines the marketing quality of the Actinidia cv Hayward fruits is established by European regulations.
Though some new indexes have been recently considered, namely the content of dry substance, colour of the seeds and the number of days to reach full bloom, the criterion used conventionally to determine the right degree of ripeness of Actinidia deliciosa fruits is the Refractive Index (expressed in °Brix). Changes in the soluble solid content of the fruits can be determined with common refractometers, which are simple instruments that are normally used both in the field and in the laboratory to monitor the progress of soluble solids and the achievement of required standards.
To be precise, the fruits are harvested when the soluble solid content reaches 6.2° Brix or more, while marketing requires a minimum soluble solid content of 9.5°Brix. Unfortunately, measurements recorded with the Refractive Index have some limits, including the need to destroy the sample of fruits examined, whose number is generally inadequate to appropriately describe the heterogeneous ripeness of the fruits in the batch considered.
“Rubin Fruits” is also aware of the negative consequences of “early harvesting” of the fruits in recent years in terms both of poor product quality – with a subsequent loss of image of kiwi fruit “Hayward” in the eyes of the customer – and difficulties related to the subsequent refrigeration of said fruits.
In fact, it is known that visual inspection does not detect any change in colour of the skin or softening of the pulp that might clearly reveal the stage of ripeness achieved at the time of harvest in order to guide the operators in defining the most appropriate time of harvest. Complicated procedures were drawn up in the past to solve issues related to the definition of the time of harvest. providing reliable indications required very long analysis periods and destruction of the sample.
Aware of the agronomic and storage problems that can affect the quality of cv Hayward fruits, the “Rubin Fruits” decided to pursue a rigorous programme dictated by cultivation and harvesting rules to improve and standardize the quality of fruits in order to ensure optimal management of the pre-harvest and post-harvest phases, and to make a success with a high quality product both on the foreign markets.
In fact, Rubin Fruits is aware of the problems that arise already from the field, and which can influence the quality of the fruits both during harvest and post-harvest phases.
Rubin Fruits is also aware of the negative consequences of “early harvesting” of the fruits in recent years in terms both of poor product quality – with a subsequent loss of image of kiwi fruit “Hayward” in the eyes of the customer – and difficulties related to the subsequent refrigeration of said fruits.
In fact, it is known that visual inspection does not detect any change in colour of the skin or softening of the pulp that might clearly reveal the stage of ripeness achieved at the time of harvest in order to guide the operators in defining the most appropriate time of harvest. Complicated procedures were drawn up in the past to solve issues related to the definition of the time of harvest. providing reliable indications required very long analysis periods and destruction of the sample.