Cherry production in Chile has been increasing steadily year after year, however, in recent seasons it has been difficult to obtain returns similar to those of previous seasons. The production and market of this fruit species has faced difficulties of various kinds such as unfavorable weather events, labor shortages, logistics problems, increased cost of inputs, greater customer requirements in relation to the quality and condition of the fruit, etc. This has forced us to change the way we view the business in order to remain competitive.
We cannot remain in the past, we must keep up with changes in the environment (climate, commercial, customers, etc.). This is called “continuous improvement”.
To apply continuous improvement in the post-harvest of cherries, we must first be clear about the stages that make up this process and the characteristics that each of them has. As we have seen in previous publications, the backbone of this process is ordered as follows:
- Harvest
- Field collection
- Land transport (from field to processing plant)
- Reception on the ground floor
- Raw material chamber (waiting for processing)
- Maritime transport (to export destination)
For each of these post-harvest stages, the shortcomings and potential improvements must be analyzed year after year, evaluating where we could be more innovative but, above all, more efficient. This is where our company dedicates all its energy each season, analyzing the different realities that exist, carrying out studies and finally providing recommendations for improvements and management that allow the activities of post-harvest to be carried out more efficiently, resulting in a product in optimal conditions at its destination.
As a cherry industry, we must generate continuous improvements with a focus on the three fundamental factors that deteriorate the condition of the fruit in the post-harvest:
- Dehydration
- Metabolism
- Time
With a clear objective, we must answer the question very objectively.
How do I reduce dehydration, respiratory rate and times during post-harvest?
The main recommendations:
- Coordinate with contractors 2-3 months in advance.
- Define an adequate relationship between the number of harvesters per supervisor
- Harvest from 6:00 to 12:00
- Always look for a vapor pressure deficit (VPD) as close to 0 as possible at each stage of post-harvest.
- Correct bin placement between rows (walk less and harvest more)
- Shade netting over each bin during harvest to prevent direct radiation
- Use damp sponges in each bin (field only)
- Design the harvest to fill each bin in 20 min (distribution of bins and harvesters)
- Bin finished, bin removed. Do not wait more than 10 minutes. It is necessary to determine the number of tractors required to make this possible.
- Humidified storage, with relative humidity over 90%
- Transport to plant in refrigerated truck (12-15°C for fruit at room temperature)
- The reception area at the plant must have a humidification system with HR of 80-90% and the truck must be unloaded immediately.
- Raw material chamber: for waiting more than 3 days it must have a humidification system
Each of these plans must have a contingency measure, since they will not always turn out well.
In other articles we will provide you with more detailed information on each of the stages of post-harvest, as well as on these three fundamental factors that affect the deterioration of cherries during post-harvest (metabolism, dehydration and time of the processes).
