Chile is the largest exporter of cherries in the world, with China being the main destination for the fruit, where this fruit is considered a symbol of good fortune and, therefore, it has been essential to study the production of this fruit.
At the CEPOC (Postharvest Studies Center) of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Chile, they study the postharvest treatment of this and other fruits. In the case of cherries and blueberries, they use HappyAgro's FirmPro and AtmosFix to measure the size and firmness, in addition to studying the optimal atmospheres for transporting these products.
We spoke with Professor Victor Hugo Escalona, Director of the Postharvest Studies Center since 2009, to find out his opinion on these measuring instruments created in Chile. Victor Hugo indicated that “FirmPro is very similar to another device that was used in the 80s and 90s, which measures the fruit by compression, it is a measurement that is quite fast, reliable and objective. The beauty of FirmPro is that it was developed here in Chile, adapted in the country, with Chilean service, and that allows us to have the guarantee that we can maintain it, there is follow-up, backup and support for the operation of the equipment.”
He also stressed the importance of FirmPro being the most widely used instrument in the fruit industry: “Over the years, it has become more widespread in the industry, so when we give a FirmPro value from our laboratory, it is data that matches very well with the data that the industry has, so it allows us to speak the same language.”
Meanwhile, regarding HappyAgro's controlled atmosphere system, AtmosFix, Professor Escalona stressed that "it has been a dream of many years. We had a fairly simple, versatile, but very simple continuous flow system that required us to make constant measurements to make sure it worked well. Now with AtmosFix we have the possibility of remote monitoring, we are sure that the cabin meets the requirements we want, that it is airtight in the sense that we can maintain the gases in a stable manner; it is a system that injects as the concentration changes, it is not a continuous source, therefore, it saves gases."
Other virtues that the director highlighted about HappyAgro are its experience with technical service and that they are Chileans innovating in technology for fruit measurement. “I think that they have undoubtedly been innovative, they have seen an opportunity in the market and have handled it well. The equipment works very well, but above all I would highlight customer service, above everything else, I think that the relationship with the company is very fluid and I think it is very good, because compared to other companies that have after-sales and customer service, they are quite rudimentary. HappyAgro is a good company and I hope that they continue developing other equipment to serve the industry and to analyze fruit,” said Escalona.
