New storing and handling methods improve produce quality in the potato handling chain.
Scheer, A.; Molema, G. J.; Lokhorst, C.;
Chain management in agribusiness and the food industry. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference Wageningen, 25-26 May 2000. Year: 2000 Pages: 637-644 Ref: 5 ref.
2000
บทคัดย่อ
From harvest to end-user, potatoes are exposed to many short-time mechanical forces (impacts) and to long-term pressure. Impact and pressure can result in subcutaneous tissue discoloration entailing qualitative and quantitative losses of potatoes. An investigation was made to characterize the construction and utilization of representative Dutch ware-potato handling-chains, and links to subcutaneous tissue discoloration were laid. The contribution to the total amount of subcutaneous tissue discoloration was 16% for harvesting through bin-filling, 22% for storage, 27% for shovelling through truck loading and 35% for truck unloading through packaging. Consequently, an investigation was carried out to compare the qualitative and quantitative losses of table potatoes stored both in bulk and in boxes. Before and after 7 months of storage, weight loss, pressure spots and subcutaneous tissue discoloration were determined and compared over time. Compared to bulk storage, box storage reduced the average w
eight loss by 16% and the average quality index of subcutaneous tissue discoloration by 30% and the percentage of pressure spots with a depth >1.5 mm by a factor 15. Reduction of qualitative and quantitative losses of table potatoes, stored in boxes, is worth mentioning. It was also investigated whether a box storage system for the potato handling chain is financially beneficial to encourage and stimulate participants to invest in innovative harvest and box-storage-filling systems. The study encompasses the comparison of costs of storing potatoes in bulk or boxes for four harvest-storage chains, and it was carried out for two collaborative potato growers, each growing 6 ha of French fry potatoes and 6 ha of table potatoes. The total of indirect and direct costs of the harvest and store-filling systems is 3-37% higher for storing potatoes in boxes compared to the traditional systems of storing potatoes in bulk.