1

Postharvest Handling Systems: Tropical Fruits

(Banana, Pineapple & Papaya)

Adel KaderUCDavis

aakader@ucdavis.eduJune, 2009

Banana Maturity Stages

Delaying harvest until the full mature-green

stage results in higher yield and better eating

quality when ripe.

Preparing a banana bunch for harvest

2

System for transporting banana bunches to packing station

Delivering Bananas to Packinghouse

Some of the banana handling slides were provided by Eduardo Kerbel

Initial Washing of Bananas at Packinghouse

3

Cutting and Placing Banana Hands into Water

Banana Packinghouse

Banana Packing

4

Mobile Banana Packing slides were provided by Jerome Diaz

Mobil Banana Packing Unit -1

Mobil Banana Packing Unit -2

5

Mobil Banana Packing Unit -3

Mobil Banana Packing Unit -4

Single fingers

Consumer packages

6

STOWAGE IN HATCH SQUARESTOWAGE IN HATCH SQUARE

Transport of Bananas to Markets

Marine Transport of Bananas

Forced-air ripening room for bananasForced-air ripening room for bananas

Exposure of mature-green bananas to ethylene to initiate ripening can be

done during transport or at destination.

7

Extending the Yellow-life of Bananas (MA)

Extending the Yellow-life of Bananas (1-MCP)

Surface abrasions

Internal bruising due to drops

8

ChilledChilledControlControl

ControlControlChilledChilled

Chilling Injury

Development of Chilling Injury Symptoms

CROWN ROT

Postharvest Diseases of Bananas

9

PINEAPPLEPINEAPPLE

Maturity and Ripeness Stages

IntercultivarDifferences in

Composition of Pineapples

Premium Select = Tropical Gold

Harvesting Pineapples in Hawaii

10

Transporting harvested pineapples to packinghouse

Initial Quality Evaluation of Pineapples at the Packinghouse

Water dumping and washing pineapples

11

Singulating and orienting

pineapples before wax application

Wax application to reduce internal browning

Packing Pineapples

12

Loaded pineapple ballets into a marine container

Loading pineapples into an air-transport container

Endogenous Brown Spot

7.2C(45F)7.2C(45F) 5.5C(42F)5.5C(42F) 3C(38F)3C(38F)

13

Papaya

Maturity and Ripeness Stages Maturity and Ripeness Stages of Papayaof Papaya

Flavor Quality of Papayas Improves with Ripeness Stage at Harvest

Papaya Maturity and Ripeness StagesPapaya Maturity and Ripeness Stages

14

Harvesting Papayas in Hawaii-1

Harvesting Papayas in Hawaii-2

Washing Papayas

15

Hot water treatment followed by hydrocooling

Quality Sorting of Papayas

Packing Papayas

16

Packaging to reduce surface

abrasions of papayas

Scoring Scoring

System for System for

Severity of Severity of

Surface Surface

Abrasions on Abrasions on

PapayasPapayas

Papaya DefectsPapaya Defects

Phomopsis Rot

Anthracnose Rot

Chilled Control