The challenges of quality control of blueberries for exporters and large retailers

The world blueberry market has grown an 40% since 2012 and is expected to exceed 635 million kilos in 2017. Currently, blueberries are grown in both hemispheres to meet the annual demand of the main consumer markets for this fruit, including the United States, the United Kingdom, continental Western Europe and China. With the appearance in the market of new ambitious exporters of blueberries (Peru, Mexico and Morocco, among them), the consolidated producers like Chile and, especially, Argentina, are beginning to notice the pressure. In the face of increased competition, the quality of the product is of utmost importance for companies that want to survive and thrive in this rapidly consolidating and maturing market.

"Advances in logistics, storage and packaging solutions have drastically increased the shelf life of berries in recent decades," explains Ignacio Santibáñez, general manager of AI PIA. “Yet, in a world where produce can travel thousands of miles from where it is picked, it can be challenging to ensure optimum quality and freshness at every stage from field to table. Blueberries, in particular, are a very sensitive product and require careful control at all stages.".

In the 2016-2017 campaign, AI PIA inspected nearly 100.000 samples of fresh blueberries for producers, exporters, and importers. The inspections revealed that only 43% of the fruit could be classified as "good" based on the applicable quality standards. The "excellent" quality category hardly had a presence, since less than 1% of all blueberries inspected passed the cut. Around 44% of the fruit was classified as “fair”, while the quality of 11% and 1,7% of the fruit was classified as “poor” and “bad”, respectively.

Santibáñez names the following key challenges that must be taken into account regarding the quality of blueberries:

Harvest conditions variable

Cranberry harvest often coincides with periods of high heat and humidity, factors that contribute to a rapid deterioration of the newly harvested fruit. The high temperatures in the harvest favor the maturation, but the overripe blueberries are very prone to damage. In turn, moist cranberries are highly susceptible to diseases. Although producers strive to ensure optimal harvest conditions, open-field farms depend heavily on time, as was demonstrated in the 2016-2017 campaign in the southern hemisphere, when the increase in temperatures brought the crop forward and resulted in a difficult season for both producers and exporters.

The need for immediate and effective cooling

Among the blueberries inspected in the 2016-2017 campaign, PIA had to classify the fruit as "reasonable" or below in 24,3% of cases due to deterioration and in 16,3% of cases due to mold. The most likely cause of mold and berry spoilage is insufficiently fast or ineffective postharvest refrigeration. Warm, moist, or damaged blueberries are the ideal breeding ground for spoilage organisms. Cooler temperatures drastically increase the rate of spoilage and consequently increase the shelf life and transportability of blueberries.

Long-distance logistics

Not breaking the cold chain during transport is essential to preserve the quality of the cranberry in transit. Last import season, according to data from AI PIA, two thirds of blueberry shipments to the US The United States, the United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong and the Netherlands were sent by sea, while a quarter, approximately, was sent by air. Air shipping allows producers to sell their 48 products hours after harvest, but it is not without risk. It is possible that the whole shipment is compromised if the berries spend only 15 minutes in the sun, which could happen while the truck circulates on the runway. Another problem is that fresh produce is usually sent on passenger planes, which entails its own risks. If a passenger makes the last-minute decision to travel with a dog, the temperature in the aircraft hold would rise to allow the survival of the animal, but would be detrimental to the perishable cargo.

Packaging and presentation

Contrary to what happens with many other fruits, the packaging options for blueberries are quite limited. They are usually packed in the fields and any unnecessary handling is discouraged, so their first container should offer sufficient protection and ventilation, and should be adequate to withstand lower temperatures during transport. Producers experiment with different materials (such as replacing plastic with biodegradable materials) and additional features (such as absorption and cushion pads), but, from the point of view of form, clamshell packaging remains the norm in the industry. Although it meets functional criteria, this packaging does not lend itself to many marketing gimmicks and manufacturers must rely on the visible product to achieve the most sales. This underlines the importance of high quality and a good visual presentation of blueberries, as consumers usually make the purchase decision based solely on the appearance of the fruit.

"For a perishable product such as blueberries, each link in the supply chain is riddled with vulnerabilities and any failure can be paid dearly.“Santibáñez warns. “We check the condition and temperature of the fruit all the way from the field to the supermarket. As with most products, acceptance or final rejection depends on the consumer, but while preserving quality in each of the fundamental phases, we strive to tip the balance in favor of our client".

Source: Freshplaza

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