Annona Species Monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

Chapter 12. Economic Information
14.46/carton at US $1.00 = R $2.42) in 1998. According to this author, 500 g
is the ideal weight for a cherimoya fruit in the Brazilian markets.
Fruit packing has a pattern of classification, which influences prices
significantly. Grossberger (1999) commented that packing of cherimoya fruit
for the USA market is generally in boxes of 4.5 kg, with plastic insertions
that hold 6 to 16 fruits in appropriate positions. Lower quality fruit is
generally sold in a loose pack, which is commonly packed in 18 kg boxes, as
is seen in California. Fruits sold to supermarkets are considered specialties
and only small amounts are displayed at any one time.
Soursop growers pack their fruits in single layer trays with 9 or 12 fruits per
tray to be sold at supermarkets or they sell individual fruits in the local fresh
fruit markets. Because soursop is a large fruit, especially that of the ecotype
Morada, it is difficult to sell to an individual consumer. Some retailers in
Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, slice the ripe soursop fruits and pack the slices
(around 1 kg per slice) in trays with thin plastic covers, displaying them in
freezers of large supermarkets in order to meet their consumers' requirements
and facilitate commercialisation.
In Australia, sugar apple is commonly packed in single layer trays of 6 to 8
kg (George et al., 1987). In Brazil, sugar apples are often packed in wooden
boxes with weight varying according to the state or local market; smaller
fruits are often sold in packages with 12 to 24 fruits (Lucas, 1994). Yokota
(1986) commented that the types of classifications for sugar apple in São
Paulo, Brazil, are mainly based on length, diameter and weight of the fruits.
The fruit arrangement in the box varies according to the fruit size and
number of fruits per box; a type 9 carton has fruits with average weights of
500 g, which is the best commercial weight, and the package has 9 fruits
(Table 12-3).
Table 12-3. Carton types for classification and packing of sugar apple
fruit in the São Paulo market, Brazil
Carton
Fruit Characteristics
Fruit Arrangement in the
Package
Length (cm) Diameter (cm) Weight (g) Columns Rows
8 >10.5 10.5-11.5 600-620 2 4
9 9.5-10.5 10.0-10.5 480-520 3 3
12 8.5-9.5 9.0-10.0 360-390 3 4
15 8.0-8.5 8.5-9.0 280-320 3 5
18 7.5-8.0 7.5-8.5 210-215 3 6
Source: Yokota (1986).
148