Current status of South African pear

Current status of South African pear

post harvest technologies and handling

systems’

Dr Ian Crouch

Outline of talk

1. Introduction • Deciduous Fruit Producing areas in South Africa • Pear facts

2. Postharvest Practices • Orchard / Harvest • Cooling • Postharvest Treatments • Storage - RA vs CA vs DCA • Storage regimes • Packaging (MAP) • Inspection and Distribution

3. Future trends in postharvest technology

South African Deciduous Fruit Industry

• Western Cape

• Ceres

• Elgin, Villiersdorp

• The Langkloof

Introduction

D:/USA TRIP/Presentations/Conference/map.ppt

World Pear Crop Production (2010)

Metric Ton

Total production 22 638 098

China 15 221 100

Italy 736 646

USA 732 642

Argentina 704 200

South Africa 366 216

• Grapes 24 309 (32%)

• Apples 21 920 (29%)

• Pears 11 561 (15%)

• Peaches 7 941 (10%)

• Plums 4 708 (6%)

• Apricots 3 462 (5%)

• Nectarines 2 158 (3%)

Area planted per fruit kind (76 425 Hectares)

Ha

Packham’s Triumph 3 325

• 3 013

• Williams Bon Chretien 2 884

• Abate Fetel 710

• Rosemarie 373

• Beurre Bosc 319

• Doyenne Du Comice 213

Pears planted per cultivar (14.1 M trees)

Ha

Forelle

Pear Crop Distribution (2010/2011)

Ton %

Total production 359 747

Exports 176 646 44

Local market 67 379 17

Processed 107 618 37

Dried 8 104 2

Post Harvest Practices

From Orchard to Consumer

Forced Cooling

96 Hours

120 Hours

Harvest

Fruit Receiving

Bin Empty

Packing

PPECB

Pack house

Pre-pack bin storage

Forced Cooling

Drenches

Cooling

Flume

-0.5° C

R&D

CA Storage RA Storage

Cooling

Orchard / Harvest Maturity

Quality in = Quality out

Fruit must be harvested at the correct maturity for optimal

storage potential

• Samples sent to MI laboratory for orchard release dates

and ranking and assessment of storage potential

• Release date = fruit at physiological maturity (will ripen after

long term storage)

• Optimum maturity = good colour, size and internal quality

(10 to 14 days after orchard release)

• Post-optimum maturity = eating ripe (10 to 14 days after

optimum)

Orchard / Harvest

Pre-Optimum

Immature

Not ripen normally

Long storage

Related defects

• Shrivel

• Scald

Post-Optimum

Eating-ripe

Best flavour

Short/Medium storage

Related defects

• Yellowing

• Bruising

• Mealiness

• Senescent scald

• IB

Optimum

Mature

Good taste

Medium/Long storage

Fewer defects

Adherence to protocols

Orchard / Harvest

Release Standard Over mature

Standard

Firmness

(kg) %TSS Acid %

Firmness

(kg) Acid %

Williams BC* 10.5 11.0 0.35 7.2 0.30

Beurre Hardy* 6.4 11.0 0.45 4.1 0.35

Beurre Bosc 8.1 12.5 0.30 4.5 0.20

Comice* 6.8 12.0 0.35 3.6 0.25

Packham’s Triumph 8.0 11.5 0.30 5.0 0.20

Forelle 6.8 13.5 0.30 4.5 0.20

*Summer pears especially sensitive to picking maturity!

DO NOT harvest over-ripe!

Orchard / Harvest

• Pears especially prone to moisture loss (shrivel on neck)

• Managed from harvest through packing and distribution

• Williams BC sensitive to premature ripening (linked to temperature 6 to 9 weeks before harvest)

• Need to comply with MRL’s and withholding periods of pesticides and fungicides

• Comply with National export standards and supermarket standards at country of export

Harvest guidelines in South Africa

• Clean bins (high pressure hot water/steam & sanitising agents)

• Use bin liners to minimise chafe marks

• Preferably plastic bins

• Do not pick during or directly after rain (bruising, infection)

• On hot days use wet blanket on top of bins (sunburn, temp control)

• Picker hygiene and education (short nails, jewellery etc.)

• Pick during cooler part of day reduces pressure on cooling capacity

• Good logistics to cold stores (minimise waiting)

• Keep fruit under cover during transport and waiting periods

Cooling of fruit

• Pre-cooling in forced-air tunnels • Rapid removal of heat • Summer pears to set temperature (-0.5°C) within 24 - 48 hours

• 96 hours for other pears • Reduces moisture loss • Reduces respiration

• Room cooling • Fruit bins stacked in front of cooling fans • Forms barrier to path of air • Air is forced through barrier • Not suitable for Summer pears

Fruit under cooling within 24 hours of harvest Fruit packed warm under FAC within 24 hours

Cooling of fruit

• Cold rooms disinfected prior to use

• Cold rooms pre-cooled prior to fruit intake

• Doors kept closed or curtain fitted to prevent warm air entering room

• Cooling capacity of room not exceeded

• Fan speed reduced once set temperature is reached • Reduces moisture loss

The purpose of cooling is to slow down respiration, moisture loss, ethylene production and pathogen decay

Post Harvest Treatments

• DPA for superficial scald control on Packham’s Triumph • Revision of MRLS • Alternatives being sought

• Disinfestation and pathogen control during storage • Chlorine drenches • Fungicides and Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC’s) ? • Ozone

• SmartFreshSM • Improved storage duration and fruit quality

• Edible coatings

Post harvest treatments are used either to maintain fruit quality or to prevent storage disorders from developing

Post Harvest Treatments Status of DPA

• Current MRL for pears is 10 ppm • First proposal was to drop this to 0.01 ppm (apples) • Revised to 0.1 ppm

• Biggest concern is the issue around cross-contamination • Old bins • Cold store walls, floors and paint • Pack lines • Several trials put in place to try and quantify this

• Motivation to increase the MRL to >0.3 ppm • Results indicate that levels as high as 0.48 ppm noted on

untreated fruit after storage

The use of DPA in the EU market under review

Post Harvest Treatments Alternatives to DPA

• Controlled atmosphere (CA) • Inhibit superficial scald up to 5 months storage

• Initial low oxygen stress (ILOS) + CA • Inhibit superficial scald up to 5 months storage

• Dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) • Inhibit superficial scald up to 8 months storage

• SmartFreshSM + RA

• Issues with fruit ripening

• SmartFreshSM + CA (+ ethylene imprinting)

• Some very positive results on Packham’s Triumph

Research has concentrated on looking for viable

alternatives to DPA


Superficial Scald after 24 weeks CA/DCA + 6 Weeks RA

From: Kobus van der Merwe, ARC, Stellenbosch, 2013


Superficial Scald after 24 weeks CA + 6 Weeks RA

From: Kobus van der Merwe, ARC, Stellenbosch, 2013

Post Harvest Treatments Sanitizers

• Chlorine drenches • Bins drenched as enter cold store facilities • 50 to 100 ppm, water pH 6.5 to 7.0

• Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC’s) • Sanitizer to disinfect bins, pack lines, cold stores etc. • Danger of cross-contamination (0.01 ppm MRL) • Cannot be used directly on fruit

• Chlorine dioxide • Sanitizer, but also used on fruit • Danger of phyto-toxicity

Decay control of pears

Post Harvest Treatments Sanitizers

• Ozone • Potent antimicrobial abilities • Produced on site • Generators placed in shipping containers • Still at trialling stage in RSA


Post Harvest Treatments Fungicides

Post-harvest Botrytis and Penicillium decay

“the most aggressive players to contend with”


Stem-end and Calyx-end decay on pears

“Botrytis and other pathogens”


Stem decay on pears

“Alternaria - often caused by use of bags”


• Fungicides • Iprodione - Rovral Aquaflo® (drench or in flumes)

• Generics in same class • Pyrimethanil – Protector® • Pyrimethanil + Imazalil (Philabuster®)

• Not really used because of market restrictions • Scholar® (Fludioxonil)

• Recent registration through industry pressure • Still needs to be tested and utilized commercially

• SmartFreshSM

• Eliminates need for chlorine drench – fruit not stored wet • Improved quality with late treatment on opening of CA stores. • Mainly Forelle


Post Harvest Treatments SmartFreshSM

• Extended storage and shelf-life • Ripening issues

• Fruit maturity at harvest • SmartFreshSM Concentration • Storage temperature • Delay in application • Temperature manipulations • Ethylene spiking • Ethylene Imprinting

• Harvista

• Pre-harvest application of 1-MCP

Improved storage and shelf-life quality

Concentration, Maturity, Cultivar

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

No Bag Bag 1-MCP

312ppb

1-MCP

500ppb

1-MCP

1000ppb

Fir

mn

es

s (

kg

)

Start of shelf After 7 days at 15C

Firmness (Harvest 9.2 kg)

Control AgroFresh™ SmartFreshSM

Bon Chretien

Control SmartFreshSM

Packham’s Triumph

No Bag Bag

312 ppb SmartFreshSM 1000 ppb SmartFreshSM

Bon Chretien

Packham’s Triumph – 3 weeks extended storage

No SmartFreshSM SmartFreshSM

SmartFreshSM Concentration, Maturity, Cultivar

0

4

8

0 6 12 18

Storage duration (wks) Storage duration (wks)

End of shelf life

Harvested 7.7 kg

Bon Chretien – Effect of advanced maturity

Harvested 7.1 kg

0

4

8

0 6 12 18

Control 50 1-MCP 100 1-MCP 200 1-MCP

1. Pears are more receptive to SmartFreshSM than apples Lower concentrations required

2. Harvest maturity affects SmartFreshSM efficacy Later harvests less responsive

3. Efficacy differs with pear cultivar Packham’s Triumph more sensitive to SmartFreshSM than

Bon Chretien pears

SmartFreshSM Conclusions from early work

Timing and Storage Temperature

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Time after harvest (days)

Eth

yle

ne (

pp

m)

-0.5°C 1.5°C

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5


Flesh firmness of Bon Chretien Pears

At Packing (8 weeks)

0

2

4

6

8

10

-SF

D4

D4 (

C2H

4)

D14

D21

D28

D32

D32

(600ppm

)

Fle

sh

fir

mn

ess (

kg

)

-0.5°C 1.5°C

SOS

Temperature

effect No Temperature

effect


0

2

4

6

8

10

-SF

D4

D4 (

C2H

4)

D14

D21

D28

D32

D32

(600ppm

)

Fle

sh

fir

mn

ess (

kg

)

-0.5°C 1.5°C

Flesh firmness of Bon Chretien Pears

At Packing (8 weeks + 7d at 10°C)

EOS

Temperature

effect Did not

ripen


Skin Colour of Bon Chretien Pears

At Packing (8 weeks)

0

1

2

3

4

5

-SF

D4

D4 (

C2H

4)

D14

D21

D28

D32

D32

(600ppm

)

Skin

Co

lou

r

-0.5°C 1.5°CSOS

Temperature

effect


BC at packing stored at –0.5°C (8 wks+7d) - SF + SF D4 + SF + Eth D4

+ SF D14 + SF D 21 + SF D28


BC at packing stored at 1.5°C (8 wks+7d)

- SF + SF D4 + SF D14

+ SF D21 + SF D 28 + SF D32

Exogenous ethylene resulted in increased ripening

Fruit treated within 14 days did not ripen

21 days after harvest increased internal ethylene levels resulted in reduced SmartFreshSM efficacy

Storing treated fruit at 1.5°C resulted in riper, yellower fruit

Senescent scald

Summary

SmartFreshSM Timing and Temperature

Ethylene spiking

Initially hoped to stimulate ripening by applying exogenous ethylene

Not feasible if all receptor sites are blocked

Ethylene imprinting

Compromise SmartFreshSM application by addition of ethylene

SmartFreshSM Ethylene Spiking/Imprinting

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

SOS EOS 10d

Fir

mn

ess (

kg

)

Average Firmness

UTC

SF 1X

SF:Eth (1:2)

Packham’s Triumph 12 weeks RA + 10 days shelf

UTC SF 1X

SF : Eth (1:2)

Packham’s Triumph 12 weeks RA + 10 days shelf

SmartFreshSM Current Commercial Practices

SmartFreshSM applied immediately after harvest

Improved storage duration (minimum recommended period)

Better quality

SmartFreshSM applied to cold stores after storage and before packing

Maintain quality

Better shelf-life, less handling marks etc.

Les decay

80%

20%

Commercial Pear Applications

78 Commercial applications

62 After harvest

16 After Storage

7 pear cultivars

Forelle

Packham’s Triumph

Abate Fetel

Comice

Bosch

Bon Chretien

Bon Rouge

Forelle,

29140, 47%

Packham's,

24555, 40%

Abate Fetel,

8205, 13% Bon Rouge,

40, 0%

Comice,

260, 0%

Bosch,

18, 0%

62 230 bins

2012

32, 8

15, 7

Commercial Pear Applications

560

5977

10165

14613

27632

26339

62230

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Nu

mb

er

of

bin

s

Edible Coatings

• Semperfresh

• Applied to Comice to reduce rub marks • No longer used

• Kafirin • Alcohol-soluble prolamin protein sourced from sorghum

grain • Still working on formulation issues

Applied at packing to improve storage quality

RA and CA Storage

RA CA

Max Time

(months) O2 (%) CO2 (%) Temp

Williams BC* 3 1.0 0.0 -0.5°C

Beurre Hardy 3 1.5 0.0 -0.5°C

Comice 3 1.0 1.0 -0.5°C

Rosemarie 3 1.5 1.0 -0.5°C

Forelle Min 3 1.5 1.0 -0.5°C

Beurre Bosc 3 1.5 1.5 -0.5°C

Packham’s Triumph 6 1.5 2.5 -0.5°C

*Sold as green pear before onset of Packham’s

Special handling protocols

• Abate Fetel

• Soft scald • CA SmartFreshSM RA

• Forelle • Mealiness and astringency • Specialised release criteria and monitoring • Mandatory 12 week cold storage period

Problem pears with storage disorders

Research on mealiness in Forelle pears

Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP)

• Standard Industry 37.5 µm bag

• Used across all pear cultivars, regardless of storage duration

• Perforations for use on CO2 sensitive cultivars • Beurre Hardy

• Looking at thinner bags • 20µm to reduce costs

• Specialised MAP bags • Xtend • Lifespan

Bags mainly to control moisture loss

Preferably do not use water flumes • Chlorine (25 – 50 ppm)

No wax applied to fruit

• Not cost effective

• No premium

Seldom pre-grade/pre-size fruit

• Causes too much damage to fruit

Packing house: Packing of fruit

Packing house: Packing of fruit

Fruit mainly packed into 12.5 kg telescopic cartons or open display cartons

37.5µm bags to control shrivel Pre-packs popular

Some export of pre-sorted bins

Packing house: Inspection of fruit

Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB)

• Check specs for different exporters

• Flesh firmness

• Skin Colour

• Disorders

• Bruising

• Insect infestations

Packing house: Storage of fruit for export

Forced air cooling Boxes without bags: <15 °C to –0.5 °C within 72 hours Boxes with bags: <15 °C to –0.5 °C within 96 hours

Transportation of fruit to harbour

In the past transported to port in insulated or flatbed vehicles

Seldom refrigerated No forced-air cooling at harbour Now mostly shipped directly in refrigerated shipping containers

Research and Future

Trends

Research and Future Trends

New cultivars • Bicolour between Rosemarie and Forelle • Cheeky

Physiological profile

• correct harvest maturity • storage constraints • progressive disorders

Packaging requirements

Improved eating quality of pears • Later harvests = riper fruit • Tree ripened = better taste • Reduced storage potential

Delay ripening during storage and distribution with SmartFreshSM


Development of effective and optimal Packaging formats


Edible coatings • Kafirin

• Alcohol-soluble prolamin protein sourced from sorghum grain

• Still working on formulation issues


Softer approach to decay control • Reduced MRL’s • Increased resistance to conventional fungicides • Greater awareness of greener options Post harvest Heat treatments Bio-control agents (yeasts)


Softer approach to decay control

Developing environmentally friendly post-harvest disease control


Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA) • Only a few rooms currently in South Africa (6) • Increased interest • Driven by banning of DPA in EU markets

Only viable alternative to

SmartFreshSM

(1-MCP generics possibly

in near future)


Energy Saving by increasing cold store temperatures above zero

• Becoming standard practise for apple rooms

• MUST be SmartFreshSM fruit

• Temperature as high as 2.0°C

• Studies to look at potential use in pear rooms

• Colour break biggest concern

12% to 15% energy saving for every degree raised - up to 25%


Energy Saving by increasing cold store temperatures above zero


New SF Formulations

In Box treatments

Harvista

Pre-harvest spray

Post harvest benefits


Small sachet placed in box at time of packing

For areas where airtight rooms not available

Slow release of 1-MCP Improved quality Extended storage

Testing on pears Immediately after harvest After storage but before packing

In Box Treatments

In Box Treatments

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

SOS EOS + 5d EOS + 10d

Fle

sh

Fir

mn

es

s (

kg

)

Control

Powder

Sachet

Bon Chretien after storage at -0.5°C for 5 weeks

HARVISTA

Pre-harvest application of 1-MCP to orchards

Many benefits

Delayed harvest (management tool)

Increased fruit size

Reduced fruit drop

Improved quality (including scald)

Extended storage


Formulation still being fine-tuned

Improved efficacy

Economically viable

Slow release to reduce product loss

Easy application (no additives)

Ultra low volume (15 to 25 l /ha)

Application method

Helicopters

Quad bikes and modified sprayers!


Robertson 44 helicopter spraying orchard

Flesh firmness of Forelle pears harvested 7 days after each Harvista

spray and stored for 12 weeks followed by a shelf life of 7 days at

20°C

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

UTC S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 UTC S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

Fle

sh F

irm

ne

ss (

kg)

Spray Application End of Shelf Start of Shelf

Packham’s Triumph

0

2

4

6

8

SOS EOS

Fle

sh

fir

mn

ess (

kg

)

Control Harvista Harvista +SF

0

2

4

6

8

SOS EOS

Fle

sh

fir

mn

es

s (

kg

)

Control Harvista Harvista +SFSF

H1 H2

SF

P O Box 422

Idas Valley

Stellenbosch

7609

Tel : (021) 887-1134

www.experico.co.za

Thank You

Current status of South African pear

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