HARVESTING, HANDLING
AND PACKAGING OF
TABLE GRAPES FOR
EXPORT
HARVESTING

Standards of grape maturity
 Sugar
level (sweetness)
 Acid level (acidity taste)
 Colour of the berries
 White
cultivars: Green, amber, yellow
 Red cultivars: Pink, light red, dark red
 Black: Black is only option
 Sugar:acid
ratio (20:1-35:1)
Sugar levels

International standards for USA, Europe,
UK, Far East (developed countries)
 Minimum
sugar levels (degrees Brix)
 15.5-17.5
 Sugar:Acid
 20:1
degrees Brix
ratio
to 25:1
Cultivar differences are very great
 Standards are different for various
cultivars

Refractometer
Instrument that measures degrees Brix
 Helpful instrument to determine the
ripeness levels of the grapes
 Planning essential for the start of harvest

 Client
may discard the fruit if minimum sugar
levels are not adhered to
Specialised and expensive instrument that needs careful handling,
cleaning and regular calibration with distilled water
Vital instrument for any grape grower
Grape colour
(white)
GREEN
AMBER
YELLOW
Sultana/Kishmish
Sultana/Kishmish
Sultana/Kishmish
Grape colour
(red)
PIENK
RED
DARK RED
Crimson Seedless
Crimson Seedless
Crimson Seedless
Grape colour
(black)
AUTUMN ROYAL
MIDNIGHT BEAUTY
Local market versus Export
market
What are the differences??
 Why should we think differently about the two?

Time between harvest and selling in local market is
1-2 days
 Time between harvest and selling in export market is
7-30 days


FRESHNESS or SHELF LIFE or KEEPING
QUALITY
Local market sales
IDEAL SITUATION
To retain peak condition, harvested grapes
must be transported as quickly as possible
to a facility where it can be cooled rapidly
to reduce its field heat
 This fast cooling should be followed by
storage at a constant temperature (0-1
degree Celsius), high humidity (90-98%),
suitable air movement and atmospheric
composition.

MIND SET FOR EXPORT
What are the main challenges we face to
increase the shelf life of the grapes?
 TWO MAIN CHALLENGES




Decrease temperature as fast as possible after
picking
Maintain humidity as high as possible as soon
as possible after picking
Large commercial exportation in USA, SA, Chile,
Australia


Storage at 0-1 degree Celsius after fast cooling
90-98% Relative Humidity
Modern packing facilities
-cooling
-hygiene
-handling
Modern cooling and
transport facilities
Importance of temperature
Maintaining the cold chain
Maintaining the cold chain
Understanding the grape
Extremely important to know what happens to
the bunches after they have been harvested,
because then we know what we can do to
prevent fast deterioration of the fruit.
 Remember:




Grapes do not ripen after harvest like some other fruit
(bananas, pears), it only deteriorates
Aim of post harvest treatments are to limit the rate of
deterioration
High temperature and low humidity after picking will
cause water loss from the stems and berries, and this
will increase the rate of deterioration
Symptoms of water loss
1-2% weight loss of bunch will have negative
effects on berry firmness and stem colour
 3-5% weight loss of bunch will cause serious
deterioration






Bunch discoloration (browning)
Drying of bunch stems
Loose berries
Loss of berry firmness
This deterioration is permanent and will cause
rejection of the fruit by the market
Symptoms of water loss
Stem browning due to delays before cooling
32°C/80% Relative Humidity + 6 days at 0°C/80%RH
Symptoms of
water loss
Loss of berry firmness
Stem browning
Loose berries
Browning
Good storage conditions

Break in cold chain can increase risk of
decay and disease development
 Botrytis

rot biggest problem
Surface and sub-surface browning of
berries can develop in sensitive cultivars
Internal browning
Grapes before harvest
Deterioration as
browning after storage
Botrytis decay
Grey mould
Physical bruising
Sun burn
Effects of water loss
No cooling +
bad storage <10 days
Proper cooling + storage
130 days
Realities for Afghan growers
We do not have all the specialized
equipment and facilities as the developed
countries
 We do not have cultivars with good
natural shelf life
 BUT:

 What
are we going to do to get our grapes in
the best possible condition for export?
Actions to prevent deterioration

Before picking
 Vineyard
grapes
 Bird
management that produced healthy
damage
 Good cluster formation (low compaction)
 Bee/wasp/other insects damage
 Physical damage
 Phytosanitary control of diseases (powdery
mildew, Botrytis)
Bird damage
Wasps/bees
Bird control
Netting
Bags
Sun burn
Physical blemishes
Berry split/cracking and sun spots
Compact bunch
damages easily
Loose bunch with
less risk of
damage during
transport
Diseases
Powdery mildew
Severe mealy bug
infestation
of clusters
Actions to prevent deterioration

During picking









Boxes for picking must be clean
Clean harvesting scissors for picking
Clean hands
Harvest during cool part of the day (<25°C)
Handle fruit carefully
Pack only one layer of grapes in box
Put soft materials at bottom of box
Pick bunches of mostly similar maturity and berry size
(uniformity)
Transport as quickly as possible to working area
Harvesting equipment
Harvesting scissors
Cluster preparation
and cleaning scissors
“Clamping” the cluster
Wrong way of
handling fruit
Multi layers in picking boxes
Dirty basket
Correct way of handling fruit
Support cluster at bottom
Single layer of fruit in picking box
Soft material in bottom
to prevent bruising
Pick grapes of similar maturity
Even maturity
Uneven maturity
Transport grapes from the
field to pack house as
quickly as possible
Actions to prevent deterioration

During handling of clusters in pack house


Work hygienic (clean hands, area of working,
equipment)
Trimming the bad parts of the cluster





Rot
Bird damage
Physical damage, undesirable berries
Remove undesirable parts that will make packaging difficult
Careful handling of the cluster



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Limit touching the berries
No damage by the scissors to other berries, disease later
Handle the bunch by the stem only
Work softly with the bunch when picking it up and putting it
down
Careful handling of clusters
Actions to prevent deterioration

During packing the fruit in boxes for export
Packing only one layer of bunches, no stacking of
bunches on top of another
 Hygienic area and equipment
 Always clean your hands
 Boxes must be clean
 Packaging material must be clean
 Height of grapes in the box may never be higher than
the height of the box

Packaging
procedures
SO2 pad
Types of packaging
Plastic carry bags
Paper bags
Loose
Panets
Sponge (loose)
Strength of boxes to prevent pressure
on clusters below
Practical approaches to
Afghanistan limitations

Our limitations are:
 Lack
of cultivars with good natural shelf life
 Shindokghani
 Taifi
 Delays
between picking and packing shed
 Lack of proper cooling facilities after picking
and during transport
 Lack of proper control of humidity
 Lack of proper packaging materials

TRY TO LIMIT THE HANDLING OF THE
GRAPES TO AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE
Field preparation
and packing
Cooling options
Straw house for packing
and storage
Evaporative cooling by wetting the sides during the day
and thereby creating lower temperatures inside as well
as increased humidity
Transport options
Creating air flow
for bulk loads
Transport options
Creating air flow
through the load
Stacking the
boxes inside
with space for
air flow
Packaging options



Rice straw/dry grasses as liners in the bottom of boxes
to limit physical damage
No “pressure” of grapes between boxes
The use of plastic/polyethylene liners inside the boxes
are the only probable means of ensuring less water loss
during transport


Open truck transport of grapes without humidity
protection is extremely risky


But: Can result in “sweating” of grapes
Good airflow in the shipment will increase the rate of water loss
of the berries and stems
Use of plastic liner will also decrease physical damage of
the fruit in the wooden/carton box

Physical damage=juice=fast deterioration (rot)
Loose
packaging
Bagged
packaging
Summary
We do not have the modern advantages, accept it
 Pick the fruit during the coolest part of the day (early
morning)
 Pick the grapes carefully and only pack as one layer
before trimming and cleaning
 Work in a shaded place (straw house)
 Store the grapes well ventilated with good humidity
 Cover the grapes inside the boxes with plastic liner to
limit water loss
 Get the grapes to the market as quickly as possible
 Be inventive in your efforts to keep the grapes cool and
as humid as possible
