Free Sample
The Complete Handbook of Fresh & Frozen Fruits
A practical reference for buyers, specifiers, and handlers of fresh and frozen fruit, from sourcing to end use
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: Understanding Fresh & Frozen Fruits
Fresh fruit and frozen fruit occupy two different worlds in the food supply chain, even though they often start on the same tree or vine. If you buy or handle either commercially, you need to understand that the product you are looking at, and the problems you will have with it, are determined by biological processes that continue for fresh fruit and are arrested for frozen fruit. This chapter gives you the foundation: what each category actually is, how the underlying science dictates your practical decisions, and why the distinction matters when you are writing a purchase order or inspecting a delivery.
The Fresh Product: A Living, Respiring Commodity
Fresh fruit is a living biological organism. After harvest, it continues to respire: it takes in oxygen, breaks down stored sugars and acids, and gives off heat and carbon dioxide. This is not a trivial metabolic detail. The rate of respiration determines how fast a fruit ripens, how quickly it loses water, and ultimately how many days or weeks it will remain saleable. A strawberry respires very quickly and may be past its prime in three to five days, even under good refrigeration. A whole apple respires slowly and can be held in controlled-atmosphere storage for up to ten months if it was picked at the right maturity.
The practical consequence is that fresh fruit is a perishable commodity, not a stable product. You are managing a process. The banana you buy green at