User Packing Instructions- Sweet Cherries

Sweet cherries must be handled according to the recommended postharvest handling procedures for sweet cherries such as Hydro-cooling, fungicide treatment, grading and sorting as per export quality standards.

1. Harvest should be done in early cool hours of the day.

2. Due to the perishable nature of cherry, harvesting should be done on the day of shipment (or latest day preceding shipment)

3. Fruits should be handled gently to avoid bruising (preferably workers wearing rubber glove).

4. Oversized and damaged (bruised) fruits should be removed.

5. Collection field crates should be very well VENTILATED and SHALLOW.

6. Full crates should be placed in mobile hydro-cooler then stuffed in a refrigerated truck.

7. Full crates should be trucked to the packing house in refrigerated truck.

8. Pre-Cool the fruits (hydro-cooling) to the optimum recommended temperature (0ºC) before packing in the ZOEpac MA bags.

9. Grade and sort cherries as per export quality standards.

10.Place the ZOEpac MA bag in the export boxes.

11.Place the fruits (after pre-cooling, grading and sorting) into the ZOEpac MA bags.

12.Expel out as much as possible of the air from the ZOEpac bag before closing the bag.

13.Close the ZOEpac bag with rubber band or closure clip. Make sure that the bag is well closed (Twist then fold over making a U shape then tight it using a clip or rubber band).

14.Cooling chain MUST be maintained throughout handling and transportation of CHERRY (0ºC).