There is a new tool being developed to help growers' predict when apples are ripe for harvest.
Since 2010, researchers have been working on a DA Meter to judge the ripeness of apples. DA stands for 'delta absorbance' and refers to a calculation of the difference in light that is absorbed by the chlorophyll in the fruit's peel as it matures.
One of the researchers working on the project is in Summerland, BC.
Dr. Peter Toivonen is a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
One current method to test apple ripeness is to test starch content by cutting an apple open and spraying it with iodine. The iodine reacts with the starch in the fruit and turns black. When an apple is ripe, it has very little starch and the iodine creates only a light stain. Toivonen says that method destroys the fruit.
With the DA Meter, the tests don't destroy the fruit and producers can do a lot more testing to ensure top quality.
