Why is Checking Dry Matter (DM) Content critical before any Avocado fruit is harvested?

Introduction:

Not all avocados on the tree are ready for harvest when the season starts. I remember when I was growing up, we would climb a mango tree during the season and shake a branch, and everything that fell was good enough. This, however, is not the case when it comes to the professional and commercial handling of fruits.

Over the years, SokoFresh has reiterated the need for DM testing for all the growers that we work with as a basis to determine maturity, harvesting schedule, and the general seasonal off-take plan. This step ensures that we don’t leave this critical factor to guesswork and can confidently relay the information, as well as the right fruit, to our customers when we harvest.

One of the key barriers to effective DM Testing is the cost of the portable DM testing machines and the fact that other conventional methods require one to take fruits from the farm to a testing lab, usually at the client’s site, far from the producer’s location. At SokoFresh, we utilise DM Kits from SunForest. With the right calibration, these devices give our field teams certainty of the DM content at an orchard without plucking fruits from the Avocado Tree. This method is preferred by the farmers since they also receive a real-time update on the status of their fruits.

We test DM content at the farm, weeks before the season starts, and when scheduling a harvest for the reasons below;

1.  Maturity

We need to ascertain the maturity index of the fruits since we ship to our domestic and export buyers fruits of uniform DM content.

• Dry matter content increases as the avocado matures on the tree.

• Exporters use it to determine if the fruit has reached the minimum maturity for harvest.

• Immature avocados (low dry matter) often fail to ripen properly, have poor taste, and can lead to customer complaints or rejection by importers.

2.  Oil Content

For our customers who off-take fruits for Avocado Oil Production, the DM score enables them to estimate the potential yield of oil from the fruits.

• Dry matter is closely related to oil content in avocados.

• Higher dry matter means more oil, which translates to a creamier texture and better flavor.

3. Ripening

• Avocados with the correct dry matter level ripen uniformly after delivery to our domestic and export.

• If harvested too early (low dry matter), they shrivel, develop internal disorders, or never soften.

• If too mature, they may ripen too quickly, so this is good for domestic customers but not preferred for export due to the long transit time.

4. Brand Reputation

• Proper DM measurement practice during harvest enables us to adhere to local regulations and meet customer expectations.

• Measuring and maintaining consistent dry matter levels ensures uniform product quality, which means we can meet and exceed customer expectations and build trust with our domestic and export customers.