MATURITY STANDARDS OF

FRUITS AN INDICATION A LECTURE

BY MR.ALLAH DAD

KHAN

MATURITY

 It is the stage of fully development of tissue of fruitand vegetables only after which it will ripennormally

During the process of maturation the fruit receivesa regular supply of food material from the plant

When mature, the abscission or corky layer whichforms at the stem end stops this in ow

Afterwards, the fruit depend on its own reserves

MATURITY In addition to this, typical avour and characteristiccolour

also develop It has been determined that the stage of maturity atthe time

of picking in uence the storage life andquality of fruit when picked immature like mango develop whitepatches or

air pockets during ripening and lackingin normal bri acid ratio or sugar acid ratio, tasteand avor

on the other hand if the fruits are harvested overmature or

full ripe they are easy susceptible tomicrobial and physiological spoilage and theirstorage life is considerably reduce

MATURITY !uch fruits persist numerous problems during

handling, storage and transportation  "herefore, it is necessary or essential to pick

up thefruits or vegetables at correct stage of maturity tofacilitate proper ripening, distant transportation andminimum storage life

 "he postharvest quality of the product is # ed atthe harvest so proper harvesting is necessary

We can have good harvest if we harvest at propertime as the development of the fruits is at laterstage of development

MATURITY Fruits harvested too early may lack favor and

maynot ripen Properly deteriorate

while produce harvested too late may be #brous orhave very limited market life  %ield may also be lower

 Therefore harvesting of fruits and vegetables atproper stage of maturity is of paramount importancefor attaining desirable quality

 The maturity has been divided into two categories i&e&physiological maturity and horticultural maturity&

HORTICULTURAL MATURITY/COMMERCIAL MATURITY

Stage of development when plant parts possess thenecessary characteristics preferred by consumers Depends on the intended use e&g& papaya.

Physiolo!ical maturity Applies only to fruits and fruit vegetables and of

development stage Ability to ripen normally after harvest for distant

market and storage, climateric fruits should be harvested at

maturitybefore they are ripe i&e& before climateric rise )on climateric fruits should be harvested at ripestage

IMPORTANCE OF MATURITYINDICES

Maturity indices , harvest indices ,sensory and nutritional quality.

Adequate shelf life Facilitate marketing+ standards Productivity

MATURITY INDICES SHOULD BE

 simple, easy to carry out :b'ective vs sub'ective indicators Eelated to quality Eelated to storage life Eepresents a progressive change

withmaturity Premits prediction of maturity from year

toyear inexpensive

LIMITATIONS OF MATURITY INDICES USES Soil conditions, nutrition, irrigation Season , climate Position on the plant Pruning and other cultural practices and

management practices varieties

APPLE 1. Elapsed days from bloom to harvest (100–

110 days) and development of abscission layer 2. Textural properties – Firmness, tenderness, starch and sugar content 3. Burst of internal ethylene production

APRICOT Colour of externalsurface area >3/4 yellowish

green or>1/2 yellow

AVOCADO 17-20.5 % dry weight (depending on cultivar)

BANANA 1. Bunches are harvested when the top

leaves starts drying 2. Change in color of the axis of the fingers dark green to light green 3. Brittleness of the floral ends should fall with slight touch - 146 - Postharvest Management of Fruit and Vegetables in the Asia-Pacific Region 4. Changes in the angularity of fingers from triangular to round or sharp 5. Number of days from emergence of inflorescence: 95–110 days 6. Pulp to skin ratio – 120:1.2 7. Use of rings appropriate to variety

BER In ber maturity is judged by colour (yellow),

specific gravity (less than 1) and TSS

CHERRY Entire surface solid light –red and 14 to 16

%SS ( Depending on Cultivar)

CITRUS 1. Change in color (green to orange) 2. Days from blooming3. Ease of separation 4. Seed-color (green to brown) 5. Starch content 6. Change in organic acid7. Rate of respiration 8. Juice content (>50%

GRAPES 1. Heat unit concepts, e.g., 3200–3600 photo

thermal units 2. Appearance of bloom on the berries 3. Color and condition of stem cluster 4. Taste - Brix-acid ratio 30–35 5. Composition of juice thick and consistent with 18–22% TSS 6. For raisins TSS should be 24–28%. 7. Compact clusters for table purpose, e.g., Thompson Seedless

MANGO 1. Slight color development of the shoulder

or fullness of the shoulders; change in color pedicel from green to brown 2. Growth of the fibers on the stone/corrugations 3. Flow of latex from the stalk ex: faster drying latex 4. Summation of days taken from flowering to maturity by tagging flowers 5. Appearance of bloom on the surface of the fruits 6. Computation of heat units or cumulative degree days 7. Change in lenticel morphology 8. Specific gravity of 1.0–1.02 for Alphonso and pairi

PEAR Yellowish green colour

PLUM Surface colour and flesh firmness

( Depending on cultivar)

PERSIMON Yellowish Green to orange colour ( Depending

on cultivar)

POMEGRANATE Red juice colour and below 1.85 % acid in

juice. Sugar percentage should be 12-16% and acid

percentage 1.5—2.5%, variety Ganesh harvest when seed colour becomes pink. In this stage TSS 12.5% and sugar acid ratio 19.5%.

PINEAPPLE 1. When fruits show signs of yellowing 2.

High TSS and low acidity (TSS 13%; acidity 0.5–0.6%) 3. Tips of the bracts projecting at the eyes start drying 4. Acid ratio 21–27 and specific gravity 0.98–1.02.5. When it emits a strong flavor, attains characteristic size and a translucent appearance 5. Summation of days – 4½ to 5½ month and may be judged by snapping with fingers

PAPAYA Green for pickling and for the preparation of

candy 2. Firm green, with moisture of 86% and TSS 10.67% 3. Ripe 33% for long distance market and 85.5%, color development for local market 4. Harvested when fruit show signs of yellow to purple color