USING NIRS TO DETERMINE INTRINSIC FRUIT QUALITY AND HARVEST DATE

The NIRs technique was used to define both the internal fruit quality parameters conventionally used like soluble solids and flesh firmness and other internal parameters such as sugars, organic acids, anthocyanins that are normally determined in laboratory with gaschromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques. NIR was also used to determine the degradation of chlorophyll in the ground color of fruits to work up a harvest schedule. The chlorophyll content was found to be statistically related to flesh firmness and soluble solids content of fruits, and the de-greening evolution is proposed as a harvesting index capable of indicating the appropriate harvest date