The document discusses improving the avocado supply chain. It identifies key issues like bruising, rotting, and skin spotting that consumers do not want. It also discusses mapping current procedures, identifying areas for improvement through research and analysis, and implementing changes to procedures to enhance quality throughout growing, harvesting, packing, transport, retail, and consumer stages. Monitoring is needed to verify that changes lead to quality improvements.

1. Improving the avocado supply chain
Jodie Campbell & Terry Campbell, Primary Industries & Fisheries, DEEDI

2. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Deliver value and satisfaction Profitability for all
to end customer chain members
Successful chains
Focus on Create & Effective
Efficient
customers share communication
logistics and
value and relationships
distribution
Improving Influential captain
knowledge Produce and deliver to lead chain and
and practices the right product drive improvement
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

3. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
What do consumers want?
Avocados that are free from
• Flesh bruising
• Rots
• Skin spotting
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

4. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Improvement in the supply chain
Mapping
What are the current
procedures and practices?
Change in practice Monitoring
Recommend changes to Continuous Verifying what is actually
procedures or practices improvement occurring
R&D Analysis
Identifying areas of
Fill knowledge gaps improvement
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

5. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Managing avocado quality through the supply chain
• Avocado quality can deteriorate throughout the supply chain and is
dependant upon growing and handling practices
Growing Harvesting Packing Transport Retail Ripening Consumer
Growing
?
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

6. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Quality defect – skin spotting on Hass
• Skin spotting = nodule damage
• Can be an entry point for disease
• Skin spotting accumulates down the
supply chain
• Skin spotting may not be visible once
avocados start to colour (at retail)
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

7. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Unacceptable levels of skin spotting
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

8. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Skin spotting on Hass
• Assessing where skin spotting is occurring in the supply chain
Off the tree Harvest After brushes End of pack Retail
line
2.5% 8.3% 12% Visability
18.6% dependant
Shed receival
upon colour
9.8% stage at retail
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

9. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
A Commercial robustness test
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

10. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Preliminary results
• Statistically significant correlation between
19%DM robustness test & the commercial
simulation test (24% DM)
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

11. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Grower feedback
• Identified several factors that can affect quality
– Heavily pruned blocks = poorer fruit quality
– Light yields = poorer fruit quality
– High vegetative vigour = poorer fruit quality
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

12. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Growers opinions on how they could use the data
1. Decision making regarding a late fungicide
application
2. Timing of harvest to optimize quality (relating to
optimum fruit maturity)
3. Help with marketing decisions
4. Useful to rank their quality against other growers &
identify blocks that need improving
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

13. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Avocado hazard analysis
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

14. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Information and training guides
• Colour and handling guide
• Quality and handling guide
• Ripening guide
• Handling avocados at export destinations
• Handling and ripening avocados in export markets
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

15. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Bruising avocados in the supply chain
Susceptibility to bruising increases as fruit ripens and with drop height
500
Drop height (mm)
250
100
rubbery sprung firm ripe
at Storage and Ripening at Retail
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

16. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Bruising at retail
Handle packages and fruit
carefully
Avocados dropped from only
100mm will bruise
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

17. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009

18. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Conclusions
Problems are compounded throughout the chain
and co-operation of all members is needed
to solve them
Monitoring tools are available for managing fruit quality
Information and training is required to improve
chain performance
© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009