Effect of fruit size and maturity on losses in the production of peaches for canning
FRUTICULTURE | Ojer, M.
Tags: pitting, peeled with lye, fruit size, maturity level, industry efficiencies
The value losses of cling peaches processed for halves are generated by lower industrial efficiency, by the presence of undesirable attributes, including inadequate maturity level, presence of pit-splitting, and low caliber of units. In order to analyze the effect of fruit size and maturity level on the losses during the pitting and lye peeling, two trials were carried out with Riegels variety peaches. OMIP knife pitters were used, previously separating fruits into three size categories: “small”, “medium” and “large”. The incidence of maturity level in both processes was determined, according to a maturity level grouping: “consistent”, with flesh firmness measured in the fruit cheeks between 7 and 10 Lbf, and “overripe” fruits, with less than 6 Lbf. The percentage losses in the pitting and peeling processes with lye were inversely proportional to the fruit size. During pitting, the overripe fruits suffered greater losses than the consistent ones and in the peeling process with lye, the overripe halves had a greater loss, which was constant, for the three size categories. The results require an exhaustive analysis of the farm-factory interfase and the objective determination of harvest maturity, which mainly defines the quality of raw material and industry efficiency.