Once it has left the tree, the organoleptic properties, nutritional value, safety and aesthetic appeal of the fruit deteriorates in varying degrees. The rapidity with which foods spoil if proper measures are not taken is indicated in Table 8.2.1. Variety control is needed in order to identify that the fruit belongs to an accepted variety as not all are suitable for different technological processes. Some laboratory control is also needed, even if it not easy to precisely establish the technological qualities of fruit because of the absence of enough reliable rapid analytical methods able to show eventual deterioration. Temporary storage before processing This step has to be as short as possible in order to avoid flavour losses, texture modification, weight losses and other deterioration that can take place over this period.
Cold storage is always highly preferred to ambient temperature.
Washing Harvested fruit is washed to remove soil, micro-organisms and pesticide residues. Mechanical sorting for size is usually not done at the preliminary stage. The most important initial sorting is for variety and maturity. This processing step aims at removing the parts of the fruit which are either not edible or difficult to digest especially the skin. This step is performed according to the specific requirements of the fruit processing technology.