The researcher at the Agricultural Research Institute of Chile (INIA), Bruno Defilippi Bruzzone, is perhaps the most important specialist in the post-harvest stage of fruit at an international level. He is not only recurring for the export industry in terms of advice regarding his knowledge of the special phenomenology of the fruit at this stage, but he is a scientific consultant, author of many publications and recognized by the international environment related to the farming.

The current state of the blueberry industry is very dynamic and it is necessary to be attentive to all aspects of the crop. There is consensus that the demand for the consumption of the fruit is rising steadily, but there is also consensus that the levels of consumer demands have also risen. The markets favor good quality fruit, with firmness, flavor and size, in good condition, and produced within the parameters of environmental and social sustainability.

We consulted Bruno Defilippi about what is new in the field of research in the field of postharvest.

You always have to start with the issue of the pandemic effect, he tells us. “Due to the difficulties that maritime transport has had, times are longer to destination, less quantity can be transferred. In this aspect, the most affected has been Peru, and then Chile”, he relates.

He emphasizes that in addition to all the difficulties caused by the absence of transportation and the bottleneck produced, "in a general context, and depending on the company, the cost of freight is higher and the time to destination is also longer."

A debt of varieties

In the context of the trip to the destination, it also highlights that the issue of genetic variety is important. “There is a lot of varietal availability in both Peru and Chile. Ventura displaced Biloxi. There is fruit with better flavor and better firmness, but it has not translated into better post-harvest."

The specialist considers that there is a lot of expectation, but the problems remain the same. “The duration in postharvest is a debt of the varieties. There are new varieties that grow very well on one side, but not on the other, so the quality and quantity of the product varies”, he claims.

Are there new technologies for the area?

There is no new technology, so the emphasis I have given in the last year has been on optimizing the technology we have, such as the controlled atmosphere (CA) and the modified atmosphere (AM), which are the technologies that continue to be the priority ones.

Bruno Defilippi years ago hit the table of producers accustomed to giving technology a miraculous category, thinking that everything will solve everything in the end. “The post-harvest begins with the pre-harvest!” he sentenced, explaining that everything that is done or not done in the previous stages ultimately has repercussions on the final result. The stages of the production process of the crop do not proceed along separate tracks. AC or AM do not miraculously solve problems caused by previous handling.

The full interview can be seen at BlueMagazine Magazine in its online version