From tree to packing house to store
Keeping fruit fresh and nutritious
No matter the time of year or where they do their grocery shopping, people want the fruit they buy to be fresh. Through a process that begins at the orchard and ends at the retailer, B.C. Tree Fruits ensures that its fruit is as fresh and nutritious as the day it was picked. The key to this process, often referred to as the “cold chain,” is maintaining fruit in a controlled climate and at a consistently cool temperature every step of the way.
At the orchard
Fruit growers contribute significantly to the cold chain by picking fruit at the perfect time, generally just before it matures. They follow up by transporting the fruit to the packing house as soon as possible after it is picked.
At the packing house
Many fruits continue to ripen after they have been harvested. By arresting or slowing this ripening process, it’s possible to keep fruit fresh long after it has been picked. At B.C. Tree Fruits, the ripening process is halted by storing fruit in a controlled atmosphere immediately after it arrives at the packing house. This dramatically extends the life and the freshness of the fruit.
As soon as the fruit arrives at the packing house, experienced sorters select those most suited to the cold chain. In order to qualify, apples must pass stringent starch and hardness tests. These fruits will be stored and eventually shipped across Canada and around the world.
Because they are living foods, all fresh fruits respire (take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide) after harvesting. Slowing down a fruit’s metabolism, including the rate of respiration, significantly slows down the ripening process. While traditional cold storage methods are effective, the addition of a controlled atmosphere reduces the rate of respiration and ripening even further. B.C. Tree Fruits achieves a controlled atmosphere by lowering the oxygen content in the storage area and replacing it with carbon dioxide.
Many fruits have been tested in controlled atmosphere storage, but the most successful has been apples. Some varieties can hold their tree-fresh texture and flavour for up to twelve months in storage.
Like most fruits, an apple develops a coating of plant wax while still on the tree that protects it and slows dehydration. When apples are picked, they’re washed in soap and water at the packing house. Because this bath strips away their natural wax protection, B.C. Tree Fruits recoats its apples to prevent loss of nutrients and shrivelling. Some sources for this natural coating include honey bees and palm leaves. It is completely safe and edible, and it doesn’t take much to protect an apple—one gallon can coat up to 30,000 medium-sized apples!
On its way to the consumer
B.C. Tree Fruits serves customers across Canada and around the world. To ensure that the fruit products they purchase are as fresh as possible, the cold chain is maintained throughout the shipping process.
Once removed from the controlled atmosphere of the packing house, the fruit is again pre-cooled before being shipped. It is then placed in a shipping container in which the temperature is maintained at the ideal level. The fruit remains at this temperature until it arrives at your local retailer, whether you’re in Belgium or Brandon.
How you can keep your fruit fresh
As a consumer, you can extend the life of your fruit even further through these simple steps:
- Store different varieties of fruit separately; storing different fruits together encourages spoilage.
- Don't wash fruit before you store it. Washing will strip away some of the fruit’s natural protections.
- Once you are ready to eat the fruit, wash it under clean, running tap water even if you don’t intend to eat the skin.