PACKINGHOUSE NEWSLETTER INSTITUTE OF FOOD AMD FLORIDA COOPERATIVE

INSTITUTE OF FOOD AMD
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
FLORIDA
COOPERATIVE
EXTENSION SERVICE
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
PACKINGHOUSE NEWSLETTER
W.
Wardowski,
Packinghouse Newsletter No.
Editor
November
CREC
1,
159
1989
700 Experiment Station Road
Lake Alfred,
Florida 33850
Phone (813) 956-1151
Key Index Words;
Editor's Note:
Australia,
Peel Injury,
Stem-end Rind Breakdown
The following article from South Australia has important
information which applies to
the Florida fresh citrus industry.
PACKING LINE PERFORMANCE CAN BE DETERMINED BY MEASURING
CITRUS WEIGHT LOSS
Recent problems with citrus
the effect of
rind breakdown prompted an investigation of
citrus packing procedures on rind injury.
Citrus fruit weakened
by mechanical injury will loose moisture and dehydrate more rapidly than
undamaged fruit.
By measuring the rate of weight loss from citrus selected
from various sections of a packing line excessive damage can be detected and
action taken to reduce injury.
reducing weight loss can also be
The efficiency of
checked.
the rate of weight loss by 30% to 50%.
the wax applicator in
Wax applied correctly should reduce
Washing and brushing fruit can result
in a 20% increase in the rate of weight loss so it is essential that a wax is
applied to restore the fruits natural resistance to weight loss.
Tests on two Riverland
higher resistance
citrus packing lines
showed that packed fruit has a
to weight loss than freshly harvested fruit.
At dumper
For both sheds the rate of weight loss from the fruit was 20% less after
processing.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an Equal Employment Opportunity - Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research,
educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, or national origin.
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS, STATE OF FLORIDA, I FAS, UNIVERSITY OF
FLORIDA, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COOPERATING
Packinghouse
Newsletter
No.
159
-2-
November
These
RATE OF WEIGHT LOSS FROM VALENCIAS
\
a
X
\
\
c
tests
have
causing excessive
rind
injury and weight
loss and
that
\
the fruit was
adequately waxed during
\
0)
1989
shown that the two packing
lines tested were not
HELD AT VARIOUS TEMPERATURES
00
I,
0) 7
0.%
O
CD
processing.
00
o
o.)
•H
u
to
0) *
Temperature
most
is
the
important contri
buting factor to fruit
weight
loss after harvest.
The rate of dehydration
can increase from 0.2Z
weight
0.1
loss per day at
10°C (50°F) to 1.2Z per
day at 30°C (86°F).
CX
CO
1
i
In order to avoid the
development of rind break
down resulting from
SAMPLING STATION
excessive dehydration of
harvested fruit, packers
RATE OF WEIGHT LOSS FROM
E
should ensure
VALENCIAS HELD AT VARIOUS
TEMEPRATURES
AND HUMIDITIES
C
9
0)
0)
6
/
'
fruit is processed within
/
24 hours of harvest and
'
held in a coolroom after
CM
packing.
U
0.4
ex
Barry Tugwell
CD
South Australian Dept
en
o
00
•H '5
that during
spring and summer months
of Agriculture
0.4
to
•H
u
•H
U
0)
2
a
CO
0.2
RATE OF WEIGHT LOSS FROM VALENCIAS
1.2
HELD AT VARIOUS TEMPERATURES
lo"c
We
.*. y>t
U
AND HUMIDITIES
1.0
X
I'
CQ
0)
O
O.I
ACCUMULATOR
JC
u
01
a
(after waxing)
0)
0)
a '
f
We
Packinghouse Newsletter No.
r
Editor's Note:
September
1988
The
159
-3-
following notes are
Citrus
November 1,
from an excellent
Australia's population of
coastline,
the
Packinghouse Day.
THE AUSTRALIAN CITRUS
continental U.S.A.
presentation at
1989
95%
of
over
the
INDUSTRY
16,000,000,
lives in an area similar to
population lives within 200
with 80% living on the eastern and
miles
of
the
the
south eastern areas of
the
continent.
There
a
total
are
about 4,500
of just under
commercial
700,000
tons
citrus
of
growers
citrus
last
in Australia,
year.
in Australia has grown by about 40% since its 490,000
1983-84.
Oranges, mainly Valencia and navel,
production and there have
oranges
and
mandarins
been major
over
the
last
The United States with its
15% more
fresh fruit
than our
for Australian citrus
in
the
prices.
r
impacts
When Brazil gluts
on
I
come
about
the
from Queensland,
12% of
like
we
is processed.
to exploit
could keep the
1986-87,
equivalent of 80,629
Our problems - We
most people
are
a
tons
of
have
share
of
Over 80% of
that
Brazil
as
a
it greatly
no government
choose
the
to
live
Queensland
We have
before
Queensland
the
the
in the
produced
advantage
southern
citrus production
about 7% is exported and only about 8%
Of course, we would do better
tons
an industry we
have
our
S.
own movements
farmer
against
and his
fresh citrus
and
the
and
the
the
need
citrus
but
use
to sell
to expand
some
of
chemicals and
We have
fresh produce with
is not
or export markets.
new organizations to
industry has
a founding member
in export,
the
problems in this area.
price.
recently introduced
this export drive
interested
in the
recognized
Horticultural Corporation as
of
fresh
citrus juice.
organic farmers who are now demanding
Queensland is
like
to 5% on juice from
late Californian citrus off our early
infestation included
federal government has
coordinate
countries
smarter.
Australia imported 9,300
our
As
little
citrus production areas.
imported
closely watching the U.
Our
sees
the Australian fresh market
are
insect
processing market
We also grow over 75% of Australia's mandarins in the warmer
regions of Australia's
live
that
last years Australian citrus production.
growers commence their season.
In
large
industry to the world juice
situation.
is sold on the domestic fresh market,
market.
about 7% exported fresh and
This
processing industry and we have
and
areas of a contintent,
of being able
if we
citrus
exports about
the world market with processed juice,
glut
both
Our 700,000 ton
10% import duty is reduced
the Australian citrus
protection from this world
warmer
fresh markets.
When coupled with a government
developing country which means
Brazil.
production of
few years.
11.5 million ton plus production,
has exposed
industry
ton production in
total domestic production.
sold in the domestic
who produced
citrus
represent 80% of Australia's
increases
domestic production has just under 60% processed,
around 33%
The
joined
the
Australian
industry.
too keen on paying more
levies
to solve a mainly southern marketing problem (you would say northern marketing
f^
problem).
\
Control Orders', and our packinghouses (we call them "Sheds")
To this end, the federal government has recently introduced 'Export
difficulty coming to grips with these regulations.
are having some
At least we have a strong
Packinghouse Newsletter No.
159
Australian Citrus Growers1
tons.
November
Federation (A.C.G.F.) which is able
government and a government
problems with the new
-4-
that is currently listening to our
'Export Control Orders'.
Our major customers were
Singapore,
1,
1989
to talk to
V
teething
Last year we exported 51,744
New Zealand>
Malaysia,
Canada,
Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and South Pacific Islands.
H.
A.
Meyer
Mundubbera
Queensland,
Available
P.
0.
from Dr.
Brian Wild,
Box 355, Gosford,
Australia
Gosford Horticultural Postharvest Laboratory,
NSW 2250, Australia
Hot Dip Treatments Reduce Chilling Injury in Long-term Storage
'Valencia'
Oranges by B.
24(l):109-110.
L.
Wild and C.
W.
Hood.
1989.
Influence of Fruit Temperature
and Application Time on the Effectiveness
of Fungicides in Controlling Citrus Green Mould,
B.
L.
Wild and L.
Agriculture.
J.
Spohr.
29:139-142.
1989.
Wild and J.
B.
Forsyth.
Agfact
David J.
Hall, Agri-Chem,
Inc., P.
0.
Box 607477, Orlando,
32860-7477
Comparative Activity of
Fungicides by David J.
Available from Laurie G«
Selected Food Preservatives as Citrus Postharvest
Hall.
Proc.
Fla.
CA.
State Hort.
Soc.
101:184-187.
1988.
Houck, Protection and Quarantine Research Unit,
Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory,
Fresno,
L.
first edition 1989.
Available from Dr.
Florida
Penicillium digitatum by
Australian Journal of Experimental
Keeping Limes Green in Storage by B.
H2.4.4,
of
HortScience
Agriculture Research Service,
USDA,
93727
Permeability of Flexible Polymer Films Used
to Wrap Citrus Fruit
Fumigants Ethylene Dibromide and Methyl Bromide by Laurie G.
Bruce E. Mackey.
J. Amer.
Soc.
Hort.
Sci.
114(1):86-90.
to the
Houck and
1989.
Permeability of Polymer Film "Wraps for Citrus Fruit Fumigated with
Hydrogen Cyanide to Control California Red Scale by Laurie G.
F.
Jenner,
Daniel S.
114(2):287-292.
Available
Alfred,
from Dr.
Florida
Moreno and Bruce E.
Mackey.
J.
Amer.
Houck, Joel
Soc.
Hort.
Sci.
1989.
W.
Wardowski,
CREC,
700 Experiment Station Road,
Lake
33850
Twenty-Eight Annual Citrus Packinghouse Day Program and Abstracts.
1989