Maintain maturity and quality of fresh produce

Maintaining quality is a never-ending job:   At pre-harvest: by measuring Brix and fruit firmness, maturity can be determined, indicating when the fruit can be harvested. Digital refractometers and handheld penetrometers by QA SUPPLIES help with gauging maturity. Produce knives can also be used during this stage of quality checks.   At post-harvest: when produce is transported to a warehouse or distribution center, using data loggers to monitor temperature can help maintain quality and prevent defects.   At the storage facility: upon arrival, one of the first quality checks is measuring pulp temperature. Internal temps can be checked with a digital probe thermometer. This is also the time to check the Brix and fruit firmness to ensure the correct quality is being received!   At the ripening operation: once the internal temperature and maturity have been established, the decision is then made on the type of storage conditions that will maximize the quality and shelf life of the fruit. If ethylene exposure is needed, ripening is easy and safe with ethylene application that use CATALYTIC GENERATORS and Ethy-Gen® II Ripening Concentrate. Ethylene levels can be measured with ethylene testing tubes that can be used alongside an Air Sampling Kit.