Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/853324
WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 23 162809Baicor13s.indd 1 10/25/16 2:58 PM WE SET THE INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR QUALITY AND SAFETY • State of the art packaging machinery • Optical grading and sizing • Stainless steel construction to meet food safety standards www.solutionsbyfox.com | (956) 682-6176 CALL US TODAY! October 19-21 New Orleans, LA Visit us at Booth #1845 164079FoxSol16h.indd 1 6/12/17 3:10 PM can be placed to increase air temperature. Use a thermometer to get an idea of the temperature and how long samples need to be in the room. Use all space heaters with safety in mind. EVALUATING Deciding how to evaluate samples is dependent on how you want to use the data to make changes to your operation. You may wish to mimic how the buyer of your potatoes would assess for damage. Here are some ideas for ways to evaluate and rate for shatter and blackspot bruise. 1. If you just want to determine presence or absence of a bruise, look on the outside for any obvious shatter bruise and peel the potato for any blackspot bruise. Write down how many tubers have a bruise from each location you sample. Divide by the total number of tubers evaluated to give a percent incidence at that location (e.g., 50 percent blackspot and 12 percent shatter bruise from windrower 1). 2. If you want to know the number of bruises per tuber and whether you are increasing the risk for bruising as the potato is being handled, count the number of shatter bruises, then peel and count the number of blackspot bruises. This will allow you to see if multiple bruises are occurring on the same potato but from different locations (e.g., 50 percent with one blackspot bruise from windrower 1, 15 percent with one blackspot bruise and 65 percent with three-spot blackspot bruise from off of truck). 3. If you want to know the incidence plus the severity of bruise, there are several options to use. Always keep track of the total number of tubers evaluated in order to calculate an overall percentage. a. Count the number of slices from a peeler it takes to no longer see the shatter or blackspot bruise. The more slices removed, the greater the severity of the bruise. You can also denote, for example, if three or more slices equals severe damage. Keep shatter and blackspot bruise numbers in separate columns. b. Develop your own subjective rating scale or use one already available. An example for blackspot bruise would be: 0 = no bruise; 1 = slight discoloration; 2 = obvious blackening; 3 = intense black color. Another example is to rate by the size of the bruise: 0 = no bruise; 1 = mild; 2 = less than 0.2 inches in diameter; 3 = 0.2 to 0.5 inches; and 4 = larger than 0.5 inches. For shatter bruise, measure the length of the bruise. c. Weigh the total tuber sample, cut away damaged tissue, weigh damaged tissue separately, and divide damaged tissue weight by total weight (e.g., 300 grams damaged/9,600 grams × 100 = 3.1 percent damaged). This is how most potatoes are graded for inspection. Count how many tubers are free from damage to get a percentage of bruise-free tubers. Regardless of the method you use to evaluate your potatoes for bruise, use the collected data to pinpoint areas of your operation where you can modify equipment operation to minimize damage from impact.