FRUIT QUALITY & HANDLING

3 AREAS WILL AFFECT FFB QUALITY ;

1. FFB composition - oil/mesocarp ; foreign matters ; fruitlets/ffb ; mesocarp/fruitlets ; loose fruitlets
2. Estate - transport & handling ; harvesting
3. Oil mill operation - handling at reception

FFB COMPOSITION

The components of ffb composition and their associated causes affecting ffb quality is drawn as follows ;

1. Oil/Mesocarp - planting material ; palm age ; ripeness
2. Fruitlets/Bunch - palm age ; pollination ; planting material
3. Foreign matter - soil
4. Loose fruitlets - ripeness ; planting material
5. Mesocarp / Fruitlet - planting material ; ripeness ; pest ; palm age

FRUITLETS TO BUNCH

The ratio is affected by the following factors namely ;

1. Pollination
2. Planting material
3. Palm age

MESOCARP TO FRUITLET

The ratio is affected by the following factors namely ;

1. Planting material
2. Pest
3. Palm age
4. Ripeness

OIL TO MESOCARP

The ratio is affected by the following factors ;

1. Ripeness
2. Planting material
3. Palm age

QUALITY ANALYSIS ON POOR QUALITY LOOSE FRUITS

1. FFA increases at the rate of 1 to 1.2% per day
2. Bleachability deteriorated by 6 folds after 10 days but thereafter doubled for each increment of 10 days
3. Oxidation values deteriorated sharply after 10 days but deterioration showed down thereafter
4. Both tocopherol (anti-oxidant) and carotene declined to low levels

IN SUMMARY ;

The quality of ffb in terms of oil and kernel extraction rates and oil quality can be affected by ;

1. The ffb input composition
2. System of ffb transport and reception used in estate and mill respectively
3. Deviation from the set harvesting standard