Pineapples HarvestingPineapples grow in plants developed from crowns top leafy portion of the fruit or from slips and shoots of the plant. The fruit matures in about 1.5 years, but in climates where pineapples is harvested for purpose of canning, planting times staggered such that some fruit reaches maturity and is harvested each month of the year.
There are two main varieties of pineapple. The red Spanish variety is grown mainly in Florida and the West Indies, as well as some other countries, and is used in the United States as the fresh product. The smooth cayenne variety is grown mainly in Mexico and Hawaii. The red Spanish variety, when ripe, is more acid and contains less sugar than does the smooth cayenne type. When ready for harvesting for purpose of canning, the smooth cayenne variety has about 0.5 – 0.6% acid (calculated as citric acid) and 10 – 12% sugar. The fruit is broken from the stalk. If the fruit is to be handled as fresh, it is placed in crates or trucks for transportation to the processing plant. If the fruit is to be canned, the crowns are broken off prior to placing in trucks or in crates and trucks.
Pineapples to be used as fresh may harvested in the matured green or ripe condition. They are packed in crates and air-cooled to 45 – 55 degree F. In this condition, the mature green fruit has a storage life 3 – 4 week, while the ripe fruit has a storage life of 2 – 4 weeks. Spoilage of fresh fruit is usually caused by fermentation due to the growth of yeasts or molds.Pineapples Harvesting
