State of Israel Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Plant Protection & Inspection Services (PPIS)

Preparation of fruit and vegetables for the fresh market

From Farm to Fork (F2F) The pathway of fresh produce from the field to the consumer

Preparation of fruit and vegetables for the market  In-field packing  Packing in a packing house

Field packing Harvest and packaging into the final package are made in the field

Advantages of field packing  Eliminates product handling  Less time between picking and cooling  Eliminates the expense of having a packing house

Disadvantages of field packing  Mechanical grading and sorting can not be done  Quality control is more difficult  Post harvest treatments can not be applied  Workers are working in less comfortable environment

Harvesting for central packing house Field bins upon arrival to packing house Packed fruit ready for shipment

 It is critical to protect the fruit and avoid dropping it into buckets or bins  fruit picked into buckets usually transferred to field bins  Wooden field bins must be protected with plastic liners to avoid rubbing and abrasion injury  Field bins need periodic washing to remove soil and dirt Field containers

Picking of table grapes

Picking of apples

Hydraulic ladder for picking apples

Field containers at the packinghouse Plastic field bins for citrus

 Mechanical damage can occur during transport  Impact bruises occur when fruit bounces during transport  Overfilled boxes cause compression bruises  It is necessary to have suspension system on all vehicles  Improve farm roads for eliminating holes and bumps On the way to the packing house

Transport of table grapes to the packinghouse Transport of sweet peppers from the packinghouse Transportation

Field containers Plastic field bins

It is imperative to shorten the time from picking to cooling and handling of the produce as much as possible Speed is important

 Produce can warm up high above air temperature  Harvest early in the day  Shade product after harvest  Reduce time between harvest and transport  Avoid delays, ensure frequent trips to packing house Temperature protection

Keep away from direct sun

Effect of sun exposure and position in box on field warming of cherries C0C0 Box in sunBox in shade

 Receiving the p roduct at the packing house  Weighing  Recording of grower’s identification  Initial quality assessment At the packing house

Preparation of fruit in the packing house

Careful bin dumping  Dry bin dumping  Water dumping to reduce mechanical damage  Control of the product flow  Control decay in water dumps by sanitation (chlorination)

Bin dumping

Dry bin dumping of oranges

Water dumping of apples

Pre sizing Pre-sizing of oranges

Pre-sizing for removing under sized fruit  To increase equipment capacity, product below minimum size need to be removed  Pre-sizers usually located after the dump  Fruit below minimum size directed to processing outlets

Pre sorting Hand sorting to remove unpackable product (decay)

Cleaning and washing  Detergent wash (sometimes with soft brushes)  Clear water rinsing  Tubers and roots vegetables need cleaning to remove soil

Cleaning and washing Detergent washing of oranges

Disease control

 Fungicide application must be in conformity with the law and regulations  Fungicide application in water tank  Fungicides incorporated into fruit waxes  Disease control by heat treatment (i.e. hot water treatment for oranges)

Waxing and drying Wax coating is applied in order to reduce water losses and provide gloss (shiny finish)  Use only approved “food grade” waxes  The most common waxes are mineral oil- based waxes and natural waxes  The wax coating on the fruit must be dried up immediately after application

Waxing Waxing of oranges

Drying Drying oranges after waxing

Oranges after drying

 The speed of sorting belt should be adjusted according to product quality  The number of sorters depend on: - The product flow per hour - The amount of diverted product (sub-standard fruit) - The size of the product Hand sorting: segregation of sub standard fruit

 Training of workers - workers must be familiar with fruit defects and the segregation limits to avoid losses due to “under sorting” or “over sorting”  It is essential to ensure good working conditions to reduce worker’s fatigue Avoid sorting errors Segregation limit

Hand sorting Segregation of sub-standard oranges

For each defect define the limit allowed for the specific class

Shamouti oranges - the limit allowed for each class

 Mechanical sizers set apart the product by weight or dimension  Electronic sizers capture video image of each peace and calculate the volume  Video imaging can also detect color intensity and defects  Sizers must segregate product with required accuracy to meet size uniformity, marketing and legal requirements Machine sizing and labeling

Sizing by weight

Sizing Electronic sizer

Labeling Labeling the fruit

Packing the product

Hand-packing operation  Used when operators can not afford the expense of packing machinery  Essential for products requiring extra care and handling (strawberries, peaches)  Further sorting while packing is possible  Sizing must be precise (oversized fruit will cause compression damage, undersized fruit will cause vibration damage)

Packing the product Packing line of oranges

Packing the product Delivery of empty boxes

Packing the product Hand packing

Hand packed oranges

Mechanical packing and palletizing  Mechanical packing system deliver sorted and sized fruit to automatic fillers  Mechanical packing can handle large volume of product at high speed  Further sorting is not possible  Automatic palletizing reduce handling damage

Automatic palletizer Automatic palletizing reduce handling damage

Mechanical packing and palletizing  Mechanical packing system deliver sorted and sized fruit to automatic fillers  They can handle large volume of product at high speed  Further sorting is not possible

Cooling and storage The product must be kept in cold storage until delivery to the market

Cooling and storage  Cooling and storage is used for extending the marketing period  After packing product must be cooled  In some cases ethylene is applied to stimulate ripening or improving the color of the products  Delivery to market outlets must be done in cooling transportation

Transportation to the market Refrigerated transportation to the market

A satisfied consumer

Thank you for your attention