New project tackles shrivel in pears

Finding the causes and cures for moisture loss. By Grethe Bestbier.

Moisture loss in pears is the subject of a new project that started in April this year. The project team includes Anél Botes of the Agricultural Research Council’s division of Post-harvest and Agro-processing Technologies, and Dr Elke Crouch of Stellenbosch University’s Department of Horticultural Science. With their findings the research team hopes to advise industry on the best post-harvest and storage protocols to reduce shrivel in pears.

Moisture loss in pears starts at harvest and continues throughout the post-harvest chain, right up to consumption. The process of water loss is influenced by several variables including fruit properties and environmental factors such as humidity and temperature.

The researchers will first examine post-harvest protocols currently followed by the pear industry. Thereafter, they will investigate various pre- and post-harvest factors. These include the effect of harvest maturity on water vapour permeability of the fruit peel. The researchers will evaluate fruit quality on two maturities of Packham’s Triumph throughout a simulated post-harvest chain. They will also determine differences in peel properties between various cultivars — including Packham’s Triumph, Abate Fetel and Forelle — harvested at optimum maturity.

In addition, the researchers will seek practical solutions to shrivel by testing the use of humidification systems to limit moisture loss in pears during long-term storage. The team will also investigate plastic liners used in bins during storage, specifically how different positioning impacts fruit quality.

The project proposal has been positively received by the pear industry. The project is set to conclude by March 2022.