Tropical

Treatment

The application of the most appropriate postharvest treatments¹, as a rule within the first 24 hours after harvesting, is the main strategy to avoid rotting, which, together with chilling injury and weight loss, is one of the main causes of postharvest losses in tropical fruits.

In the cases in which a treatment is carried out, it must be in aqueous medium, as they are the best to achieve a perfect wetting of the fruits.

With the CITROSOL VERTIDO CERO® System² and our technical support³, we are able to maintain the initial efficacy of the treatment in Drencher, Drencher online or basin, since it keeps the fungicide broths unaltered and the residue levels homogeneous.

Variability in application systems results in variable results in rot control and in the level of residues in the fruit. Our CITROSOL DS dosing equipment maintains unaltered the initial efficacy of the treatment broths.

The CITROSOL VERTIDO CERO® System allows the recovery of the broth from the drenchers and the reduction of suspended solids, without affecting the concentrations of fungicides, coadjuvants and biostimulants, which we manage to keep constant.

ZERO DISCHARGE SYSTEM CITROSOL

DRENCHER'S BROTH 4865 TREATED PALLETS

CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM

DRENCHER'S BROTH 200 TREATED PALLETS

To maintain the initial efficacy of the fungicide treatment in Drencher, Drench on line and pond, it is essential that the fungicide broths remain unaltered, so that we also achieve homogeneous residue levels.

3.- Our technical know-how and the follow-up we carry out, guarantee an adequate management of the first treatment.

We carry out sampling for the determination and quantification of residues of active ingredients in fruit to ensure that our customers are within the target MRLs. For this purpose, in addition to our laboratory service, we have the EASY KIT®, a tool that allows us to obtain these results immediately at the plant.

On-line treatment

Washing of some tropical fruits, such as avocado, is a critical point for spoilage control and food safety, and must ensure that pathogenic microorganisms do not accumulate in the washer, and practically eliminate pathogenic microorganisms on the surface of the fruit. This will avoid cross contamination and contribute to excellent spoilage control.

Waxing2 of tropical fruits is a process that is increasingly considered necessary in many tropical fruits, since the application of a coating allows controlling weight loss, delaying aging by reducing transpiration, respiration and ethylene production, reducing the incidence of physiopathologies such as chilling injury in mangos and avocados, and dried fruitlets (DPA) in pineapples and providing brightness.

1.- Post-harvest washing of these fruits is a critical point for rot control and food safety. Citrocide® PC and Citrocide® Plus are broad spectrum biocides that control fungi, bacteria, yeasts and viruses. Their use is authorized by AECOSAN as a technological adjuvant and certified as an input for organic agriculture.

At CITROSOL we have developed the CITROCIDE® avocado and mango CITROCIDE® MANGO SYSTEM for the hygienic washing of these fruits. We have managed to convert washing machines and washing tanks into Critical Control Points to avoid cross-contamination, minimize surface contamination and the internalization of pathogens in avocado and mango, respectively.

In this image we can see the data obtained in a CITROCIDE® PALTA SYSTEM during a working day. The CITROCIDE® PALTA SYSTEM continuously and automatically monitors and controls the concentration of Citrocide® PC in the wash water, maintaining the optimum dosage at all times. We also ensure detailed traceability through a program that records information on the dosing and control process.

This system is a guarantee of food safety, as we can see in these three graphs where we represent the effectiveness of the system in the surface disinfection of avocado, Hass variety (studies conducted by CNTA-Peru in Chincha, August 2016).

Waxing is carried out once the fruit is dry with a system composed of rotating heads and brushes that allow a homogeneous application and guarantee an efficient coating, without excess product and an excellent visual appearance.

The main waxes for tropicals are CITROSOL AK Tropical EU which has been developed to increase the shelf life of tropical fruits such as mangoes, and CITROSOL AK Avocado EU developed to extend the shelf life of avocado. These coatings control weight loss in avocados and mangoes more than other available waxes, delay the climacteric peak, and decrease ethylene production and respiration rates in avocados. In the case of mangoes, "shriveling" was greatly reduced by waxing.

The effects on ethylene production and respiration induce a delay in ripening, maintaining fruit firmness and some delay in color development; the delay in ripening increases resistance to pathogenic fungi. The two coatings CITROSOL AK Avocado EU and CITROSOL AK Tropical EU reduced rotting and chilling injury in avocados and mangoes, respectively. All of the above was verified in an experimental study conducted by the Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, of the Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center (ISRAEL) in 2018.

We have also developed CITROSOL AP UE and CITROSOL AP K UE, two specific coatings for pineapples with very good control of weight loss, pulp firmness and the incidence of sunken and/or dried out spots (DPA), while allowing a natural evolution of color change.

Cleaning and disinfection

Reducing the levels of inoculum¹ in the different areas of the Central Fruit and Vegetable Processing Plant, as well as in the crates² and in the cold storage chambers is essential for the control of spoilage, since the fruit can spend time in them, increasing the risk of contamination.

1.- Maintaining the hygiene of the fruit and vegetable plant (CH) and its elements is essential for the control of rotting in tropical fruits.

The establishment and application of a correct Cleaning and Disinfection (C&D) program in the plant leads to a significant improvement in the results of rot control and avoids the risk of cross contamination by microorganisms pathogenic to human health.

2.- Field containers can constitute an important reservoir of pathogen inoculum, especially resistant inoculum. Any L&D program should include an efficient protocol for washing and disinfection.

Transportation

From shipment and during transport, tropical fruits are living beings that continue to breathe after harvest. As they breathe, they produce carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O) and ethylene (C2H4). The elimination of ethylene¹ during transport provides us with additional security for good arrival at destination.

Ethylene is a gaseous hormone that all vegetables synthesize. This hormone regulates the processes associated with ripening and senescence of fruits and vegetables.

The accumulation of this gas causes, in tropical fruits, loss of commercial quality and a decrease in their useful life.

Ethylene is eliminated through an absorbent that also absorbs the volatile organic compounds responsible for odors and slows ripening.