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Education Materials
Avocados Australia, in partnership with Agri-Science Queensland (formally QDPI) have developed a series of handling guides for avocados for use across the supply chain, specifically in packhouses, the wholesale markets and in retail stores.
Retail Quality Survey results have shown that the biggest quality issues for avocados in Australia are bruising, followed by body rots and vascular browning. These results have been used to ensure that the educational material produced addresses these issues.
How avocados must be handled to maintain quality is directly related to their level of ripeness therefore the first piece of material that has been produced is a general guide for all industry sectors illustrating the different levels of avocado ripeness and the colour stages that are most common at each level.
A copy of the ripeness/colour guide illustrated below has been sent to all members of the Industry. It has been produced in the form of a poster and measures 210 x 594mm.
The ripeness poster has been used as a basis for determining handling requirements for fruit at different levels of ripeness from the packing shed right through to the retail floor. Handling guides have subsequently been designed and produced for each of these sectors. Copies of each of these guides are illustrated below and have been sent to the members of the relevant supply chain sectors. They have been produced in poster formats and measure 210 x 594mm each.
Parallel to the production of the handling posters, a small book has been designed including avocado mascot, ‘Alvin Avocado’. The book provides a basic history of avocados and an overview of the avocado supply chain. This has been designed to give everyone in the supply chain an indication of how their treatment of the avocado will impact on the end quality of the product. You can view the electronic version of the book by clicking the front cover below.
The Avocado Ripening Manual was developed by Agri-Science Queensland with the aid of several supply chain partners and Avocados Australia. It provides an in depth guide to ripening avocados including sections on storage, room operation, problem solving and additional support materials. It has been distributed to all Australian avocado wholesalers and ripeners.
As a part of the avocado supply chain education program, an Avocado Transport Guide for Road and Rail has been developed. A booklet as well as a Quick Reference Guide were developed by Agri-Science Queensland and Avocados Australia. The documents provide a guide to transporting avocados including sections on the importance of correctly precooling the avocados prior to transport, ensuring there is appropriate air flow during transport as well as recommendations for securing the load. These documents are being distributed to all Australian avocado packhouses and those transport companies known to transport avocados. You can view the documents by clicking on the below images.
In conjunction with the transport guides, avocado harvesting guides for growers, managers and pickers have been developed. The first guide, Avocado Harvesting: Growers and Managers includes information on things to be aware of in the lead up to and during harvesting. Some of the points covered in the guide include ensuring no immature or over mature fruit is being sent to market and that pickers instructions are clear.
A second guide, Avocado Harvesting: Pickers has also been developed targeting the picking crews. Some of the main points of the poster include the importance of not dropping the fruit more than 30cm, emptying the picking bags carefully and listening to the grower or manager’s instructions. To help reinforce these points, two bumper stickers have also been developed which can be used in the field. These documents are being distributed to all known Australian avocado growers and packers and can be downloaded by clicking on the below images.
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The latest addition to the avocado education materials suite is the Australian Avocado Grading Guide which is designed for packhouses. This guide is an update on the old Australian Avocado Quality Standards poster which was published by Australian Avocado Growers Federation Inc in the early 2000s. This new poster provides packhouses with clear descriptions on the industry standards for Classes 1-3 and defects or injuries not acceptable in any class. Copies of the poster are being disributed to all known Australian avocado packers and can be downloaded by clicking on the below image.
