Abstract:
The postharvest end-quality of citrus is significantly impacted by pre-harvest factors such as weather, which varies among growing regions. Despite the importance of these factors, the influence of regional weather variations, such as variations in temperature, humidity, wind, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and solar radiation on postharvest citrus quality, is largely unknown. This study aims to quantify this impact through a physics-driven digital replica of the entire value chain of Valencia oranges, from orchards in South Africa to retail in Europe. Predicted fruit properties data at harvest and hygrothermal sensor data from orchard to retail for different production regions are coupled to a physics-based fruit model to simulate key postharvest fruit quality metrics. These metrics include mass loss, chilling injury, fruit quality index (FQI), remaining shelf life (RSL), total soluble solids (TSS), and titratable acidity (TA). Our digital fruit model reveals that regional weather variability significantly affects fruit quality evolution when comparing data from Nelspruit, Letsitele, and Sunday\'s River Valley (SRV). The impact of weather variations is most pronounced in the temperate oceanic climate of SRV compared to the hotter climates of Letsitele and Nelspruit. Our findings indicate that differences in weather conditions between these growing regions impact postharvest mass loss, FQI, RSL, TSS, and TA of Valencia oranges at retail. The impact is up to 10% variation in mass loss and RSL, 4% in TSS, and 1% in TA among oranges grown in different regions. We show that temperature and humidity variations in the postharvest local transport of oranges between different regions largely increase mass loss by up to twofold, FQI by up to ~ 12%, and RSL by up to ~ 15% at retail. Our research also shows that weather temperature is the most important metric during fruit growth affecting various aspects of postharvest orange quality. This study offers valuable insights into the impact of regional weather variations on the quality of oranges available to consumers. These findings could help the citrus industry enhance growing practices, postharvest logistics, retail marketing, and cold chain strategies, thereby improving product quality and consumer satisfaction.
摘要:
柑橘的采后最终质量受到收获前因素的显着影响,例如天气,在生长地区之间有所不同。尽管这些因素很重要,区域天气变化的影响,比如温度的变化,湿度,湿度风,蒸气压力不足(VPD),和太阳辐射对柑橘采后品质的影响,基本上是未知的。这项研究旨在通过巴伦西亚橙子整个价值链的物理驱动数字复制品来量化这种影响,从南非的果园到欧洲的零售业。收获时预测的水果特性数据和不同生产区域从果园到零售的湿热传感器数据耦合到基于物理的水果模型,以模拟关键的采后水果质量指标。这些指标包括质量损失,寒冷的伤害,水果质量指数(FQI),剩余保质期(RSL),总可溶性固形物(TSS),和可滴定酸度(TA)。我们的数字水果模型表明,当比较Nelspruit的数据时,区域天气变化显着影响水果品质的演变,Letsitele,和周日的河谷(SRV)。与Letsitele和Nelspruit的炎热气候相比,在SRV的温带海洋气候中,天气变化的影响最为明显。我们的发现表明,这些生长区域之间的天气状况差异会影响采后质量损失,FQI,RSL,TSS,和瓦伦西亚橘子的零售TA。影响高达10%的质量损失和RSL的变化,在TSS中4%,在不同地区种植的橙子中,TA含量为1%。我们表明,不同地区之间的橙子采后局部运输中的温度和湿度变化会使质量损失增加两倍,FQI高达约12%,和RSL在零售时高达约15%。我们的研究还表明,天气温度是水果生长过程中影响采后橙子品质各个方面的最重要指标。这项研究为区域天气变化对消费者可获得的橙子质量的影响提供了有价值的见解。这些发现可以帮助柑橘行业加强种植实践,采后物流,零售营销,和冷链战略,从而提高产品质量和消费者满意度。