Turnkey projects: Fruit preservation
A comprehensive solution for your fruit and vegetable preservation projects in a controlled atmosphere.
Cherry
Cherries are a fleshy stone fruit classified as
drupes. Of Greek and Roman origin, the cherry tree was marketed in Europe
as early as the Middle Ages.
Today there are over 600 varieties of cherries,
the best known being the Bigarreau and the Burlat.
The global cherry market has been developing constantly
for many years, and production now stands at 3.6 million tonnes
per year. Turkey is the largest producer of cherries in the world,
followed by the United States and Iran.
For harvesting, different indicators are used.
Maturity indicators
- Skin colour
- Soluble dry matter content
- The mahogany red stage is recommended for some varieties.
Quality indicators
- Taste and acidity.
- Appearance: absence of cracks, bird pecking, wilting, rotting, or other visual defects.
- Stems: Freshness and quality of cherries are generally associated with their fleshy, green stems.
The post-harvest life of fruit is closely related to the respiration rate. C.A. reduces the respiration rate of the fruit and thereby increases its post-harvest life.
The Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) generated in the package has been tested and found to be beneficial for the preservation of the fruit and its properties.
Storage conditions :
- Optimum temperature: -0.5 to 0.5°C
- Optimum relative humidity: 90 to 95%.
Rapid cooling to the optimum temperature after harvest is beneficial for maintaining fruit quality. Maintaining high humidity is necessary if you want to preserve the colour of the stem.
The response of the cherry to ethylene is minimal. Ethylene does not accelerate ripening.
Volatile aromas can be reduced after several weeks of storage in CA.
Cherry diseases :
- Brown Rot
- Grey Mold
- Rhizopus Rot
Physiological disorders of the cherry:
- Pitting
- Dieback
- Proper temperature management (rapid cooling to optimum storage temperature) can completely control rhizopus rot and significantly reduce brown rot and grey mould
- Removal of injured and infected fruit from packed crates is very important
- Pre- and post-harvest treatments with fungicides are often beneficial
- A high level of CO₂ suppresses the development of infection
