Supply Chain Quality Improvement - Technologies and Practices to Reduce Bruising

Abstract

Flesh bruising is a major postharvest quality concern for the Australian avocado industry. It is responsible for around half of all internal defects detected at retail level. Preceding Hort Innovation projects ‘AV10019’ and ‘AV12009’ established clearly that flesh bruising is caused, and primarily expresses, in the supply chain post-ripener; i.e., in fruit that have commenced the softening process. Opportunity exists to improve fruit quality at retail by identifying and adopting measures that lessen or, ideally, eliminate flesh bruising. Doing so will ultimately lead to improved consumer satisfaction and bolster demand in the face of a domestically, and seemingly internationally, looming market over-supply.

The current project sought to clarify the relative contributions of inherent fruit characteristics and external environmental conditions and management practices to bruise susceptibility. This was realised by thoroughly reviewing the current literature and in undertaking a directed series of experiments to investigate final fruit quality in response to prescribed simulated (i.e., lab-based) and actual (i.e., real world) supply chain conditions. Additionally, the project reviewed and tested technologies that could potentially be used by shoppers and retail staff to determine fruit firmness (viz., ripeness) stage without the undesirable consequence of physically damaging handling (i.e., squeezing). The tests included a prototype Avocado Decision Aid Tool recently dubbed the ‘Readycado’. This prototype had been devised and developed in the course of preceding project ‘AV12009’. In-store consumer testing suggested that this device could be well-received by shoppers. Knowledge generated by the project was shared with other R, D & E workers (e.g., projects ‘AV15010’ and ‘AV15011’) via Hort Innovation co-ordinated ‘Avocado Supply Chain Quality Improvement Program – Project Reference Group Meetings’ and with industry stakeholders, including growers, packers, ripeners, retailers, consumers and AAL.