Kiwi from Chile: ripening is key

Kiwifruit, just like bananas, mangoes and avocados, needs to be ripened. If the product is not properly ripened, it runs a considerable risk of being deemed bad fruit. The satisfaction rating of kiwifruit end consumers is currently rather erratic.

For the outcome to be consistent, kiwi ripening does not take place on the plant, so a transforming process is necessary. The key to achieving it lies in maintaining a clear and well-organised process, where exporter and recipient have clearly demarcated functions and responsibilities.

In Chile, the Chilean kiwi committee, alongside a group of experts from the PUC University, has carried out in-depth research to identify the critical variables so that the outer skin, heart and pulp all ripen evenly.

“This way, we managed to determine the exact steps to follow in every link of the production chain to achieve preconditioned fruit that can be properly ripened,” the Chilean Kiwi Committee said.