Pre-Conditioning & Ripening Manual
Uneven Ripening: Symptoms and Causes
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Common Symptoms of Uneven Ripening
- Checker-boarding: fruit at various stages of ripening in the same lug
- Uneven peel color in mid-to-late season fruit
- Soft spots on fruit
- Soft neck or side of fruit
- Improper ripening techniques
- Improper amount of ethylene gas, incorrect exposure time, wrong temperature, humidity below 85%
- Temperatures above 70°F (ripening stops above 77°F)
- Improper air flow/circulation can cause hot spots to develop
- Excessive carbon dioxide buildup above 1% inhibits ripening
- Excessive holding periods prior to beginning the ripening cycle
- Wide variation of pulp temperatures on arrival at the warehouse
- Fruit was below 42°F before Pre-Conditioning
