lender GmbH Flender MD Connection dimensions B4CH-27-C Bevel-helical gearboxes B4

Flender/Flender Gear Units/Bevel-helical gearboxes B4

the growthmarket for both fruit and vegetables with wide availability of fresh produce producedlocally or imported from around the globe. Of particular note is the fresh-cut market,which was expected to reach $1 billion and 2% of fresh produce sales by perhaps 2 2. Clearly, the immediate future belongs to the fresh market with storage of both fruit and vegetables combined with greenhouse production contributing to maintenance of freshsupplies over the marketing season. The importance of quality and grade standards forfresh produce will be emphasized by these trends. The fresh-cut segment represents the processed portion of this fresh market, and in Canada there are no standards applicable to these products. Produce in plastic bags con- taining modied atmosphere packaging (MAP) are widely available, especially in the salad category but increasingly throughout the spectrum of fruit and vegetables. These products are perishable for both biochemical and microbiological reasons (Phillips, , and theresulting concerns are driving consideration of quality standard regulations for these prod- ucts. As research develops consensus on the regulatory requirements for these products, regulatory standards for both production and nal product can be anticipated. Grades for Fruits and Vegetables 5 In commercial practice, fresh produce is passed through packinghouse, where it is cleaned, graded, size/quality sorted, and packed for shipment to retail outlets. Sortingfor size and color is largely automated, but most of the other quality/maturity attributesmust be accomplished by visual examination. Automation of these later attributes willrequire precise, rapid examination of each horticultural commodity, individual by individ- ual, nondestructively at very high speed. Potential methods for accomplishing this feat have been reviewed (Abbott et al., 1; Clark et al., . Detailed discussion is beyondthe scope of this article, but as technical difculties are overcome, one can anticipat