Quality standards, refinement and testing

Abstract

Eating quality of ripened fruit is correlated to % dry matter in fruit at harvest, which in turn is linked to the maturity (as opposed to ‘ripeness’) of the fruit. This project focused on a number of strategies to improve the reliability of getting fruit harvested at the right maturity and hence fruit at maximum flavour to consumers. The first strategy provided mango growers and retailers with awareness of and access to the new technology of F750 NIR spectrometers (NIRS) to help estimate dry matter as a measure of fruit maturity. This raised the awareness of the opportunity to monitor dry matter along the supply chain, within the context of affordability and ease of use of the new technology. This technology was then used in the market end of the supply chain. The second strategy validated the estimation of dry matter content of ripening fruit across a number of Australian mango varieties. NIR-DM models were developed using hard green fruit and were used in the prediction of DM in ripening fruit for the varieties Kensington Pride, Calypso, R2E2, Honey Gold and Keitt. Predictions were repeatable for early stages of ripening but were less so for fully ripened fruit. These models were programmed into F750 NIR spectrometers as calibrations to estimate dry matter content of fruit in wholesale markets. The mango industry through the Australian Mango Industry Association offered transparency and encouraged peer to peer compliance by publishing the weekly results of estimated fruit dry matter content measured at wholesale markets and retail distribution centres. In the 2016/17 season many growers and retailers trialled the use of the NIR spectrometers, building confidence in the predictability of mango flavour, which then underpinned successful retailer promotional campaigns in the 2016/17 mango season.