There was hardly any related aspect that was not addressed, analyzed, or discussed in the first day dedicated to the stage of postharvest of the industrial cultivation of blueberries. The presentations of Bruno Defilippi, Claudia Moggia and Jéssica Rodríguez they were very accurate and complete. The postharvest technologies used today, the different handling aspects, the frequency of harvests, the firmness and dehydration of the fruit, and the quality parameters in the reception of blueberries in the destination markets, were some of the aspects that they were covered in detail, both in the presentations and in the long round of final questions.

Experience and upgrade

Abundant information was the one that delivered Bruno Defilippi, product of his long experience As a researcher in the area, both from his old research and the results of his most recent works, which cover the different factors that affect a good postharvest. Also addressed tests and results of different technologies applied in different scenarios and to different varieties, and released some reviews on new technological alternatives that are ready to go on the market.

When to harvest, a vital factor

We can no longer harvest for the color ...! It was a unanimous outcry on the successful first day. Claudia Moggia, among many studies she showed, released staggered harvesting techniques, in which the first blue berries are removed, to then wait for a homogenization as complete as possible of the bunch and thus achieve a more even harvest and with equal maturity levels, because the excessive ripening and the lack of homogeneity of the fruit, a product of only harvesting according to the color, is one of the factors that strongly affect the later life of the fruit, causing significant rotting or softening.

Avoid rotting

Furthermore, the correct harvest frequencies they also serve to control the temperature, handling times and early entry into the cold environment, avoiding excessive dehydration, among other aspects that were discussed in detail and analyzed by the experts, exemplifying with the result of their studies and research and then emphasizing it in the answers to the specific problems that were consulted. They all agreed that avoid rotting It is an indispensable requirement in the handling of the fruit.

Slow down is the mission

The various techniques and technologies applied in postharvest have as target that this fruit degradation process slows down, either by taking precautions with a new genetics, which ensures a better condition and quality of the fruit, or by adopting new approaches in nutrition, pruning, irrigation or harvesting, or by applying better packaging, cold or transport technologies, which allow to lower the fruit respiration rates and contribute to fruit deterioration much more slowly.

Reception parameters

The different quality parameters In the reception of the US, Europe and Asia, the three most important destinations, and the elements that are measured in the fruit, it was addressed at length by Jéssica Rodríguez in her talk and then explained in detail in the round of questions.

¿Where will the new technologies lead to?? Should the varieties come with information on their postharvest behavior so that producers can better choose and invest? What pre-harvest management factor is the most relevant for the later life of the fruit? Is variety relevant? Should the firmness standards? What are the most effective technologies ?, were some of the dozens of questions that arose from the successful day.

Thursday 12, new day

The issue of postharvest and its different edges will continue to be debated on Thursday 12 from 10 am, Chilean time, in which the firmness of the fruit, the development and correct applications of the technologies, the keys to success to face the challenges of postharvest in the industry, the innovative technologies to preserve the quality and condition of the blueberry, the management of high quality fruit, and all aspects related to the keys that ensure a better fruit life in the postharvest stage.

The specialists Reinaldo Campos y Paula of the Valley and the experts Cecilia Granger y Marcela silva, will be in charge of presenting the different topics on Thursday and will answer the round of questions, which is known to be as extensive as the first day.

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