Development of an avocado rapid library tray system for Hass

Abstract

The Australian avocado industry currently produces 49,500 tonnes of fruit annually worth AU$180M at farm gate and AU$420M at retail level. The industry is growing by 8% per year. In order to accommodate the escalating fruit production, consumption of avocado in Australia will have to increase and/or alternative markets will have to be sought. Consumer surveys have shown that avocado fruit sales continues to be seriously hindered by variable and poor fruit quality. Consumers have indicated that they would be more inclined to purchase avocados if the quality was guarantied.
Library tray systems are used in many fruit industries throughout the world to monitor fruit quality through the cold chain. These systems are most commonly used for export lines and involve long cold storage periods mimicking commercial reality.
Since the Australian avocado industry is domestic market based and the cold chain is highly variable, a simple rapid ripening regime was developed which accurately reflects commercial out-turn fruit quality.