Maturity Indices Change of skin color from green to yellow to orange is the main index of maturity and ripeness stage. Loquats that ripen fully on the tree taste better than those picked partially-ripe. Ideally, loquats should be harvested when fully yellow but firm. Quality Indices Fruit size, yellow to orange color intensity and uniformity, firmness, absence of defects and decay. Fully-ripe loquats are very sensitive to physical damage and require very careful handling.
Loquat is a non-climacteric fruit.
Published research is insufficient to make a recommendation. Physiological Disorders Internal Browning. Internal flesh browning followed by tissue breakdown is enhanced by higher temperatures and longer durations of storage. Severely-affected loquats are discarded at the time of preparation for market. Pathological Disorders Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Pestalotiopsis funerea, and Phytopthora cactoarum have been isolated from loquats, especially those harvested from rainy areas.