International Produce Training

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Apples- Splitting

Recently a warehouse received some tray pack apples with a very unusual defect. The apples were found to have sever splitting emanating around the stem end. The flesh was described as “grainy or sandy.” From my experience, I have seen some varieties of apples being prone to stem end cracking, Honey Crisp and Stayman come […]

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Sweet Peppers- Water Inside

A few years ago, while performing an inspection on peppers at the packing house, I encountered Sweet Peppers that were filled with water. To say that I was surprised is an understatement. Without even cutting the pepper you could feel the extra weight of the water inside, letting you know which peppers to cut and […]

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Asparagus- Purple Spot

Every now and then you will come across a defect you have never seen before. This defect on asparagus, although not really rare, it is a defect you will see but it may not be seen for years at a time. The defect shown here is called Purple Spot. There is no mention of this […]

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Oranges- Sooty Mold

At a recent training class we inspected oranges from Chile. When popping the lids everyone was surprised to see a black discoloration affecting the majority of the oranges within the carton. The defect we found is called Sooty Mold. This is caused by a fungus that adheres to excretions of the white fly and other […]

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