Fruit go through quite a demanding process from the seedling stage until being harvested and delivered to tables. This process begins with pre-planting preparations, and includes planting period, care period, harvest period, picking, storage, packaging and delivery to customers. In Motto Fresh, we closely monitor the entire process from planting of fruit till delivery of the same to customers, and we provide the fruit with the highest quality and nutritional value to our customers.
Most of fruits grow on trees. Hence, seedlings are planted in appropriate periods and under suitable weather conditions. Seedlings that are not planted in suitable periods lack productivity and flavour. In Motto Fresh, we consider it as our duty to supply to our customers fruit varieties, which are planted in appropriate periods and which show a first quality performance in terms of productivity and flavour.
Seedling care is one of the most critical stages. Damaged or broken branches must be cut after planting seedlings. A young tree must include 3-4 separate branches on it when it reaches to the size of 60-120 cm. Weak or small branches must be removed, if any. Top of the tree must be pruned for 90 cm, if there are no branches. Thus, we may ensure new branches to grow properly. In addition to pruning procedures, fertilization, mulching and irrigation must also be performed within the scope of care procedures.
Recently planted seedlings do not require fertilizer until formation of the root system completely. After planting, organic materials must be spread on the soil as fertilizers.
The area around recently planted or previously planted seedlings must be mulched under any circumstances. Thus, growth of weeds in the vicinity of the root would be reduced, and water would be saved. Also, mulching would also provide nutrients to seedlings. Insects that eat seedlings would not reach to seedlings thanks to mulchin
Recently planted seedlings must be irrigated 2 times per week for 2 years throughout the period between June and September. Irrigation may be reduced to 1 time per week in following years.
Fruit trees, which are planted and began to give fruits timely, are picked with great care in suitable harvest periods as the fruits ripen. Fruits are prevented from being squished by being placed in suitable boxes after being picked. Fruits that are picked from fields or vineyards and placed in boxes are delivered by vehicles to facilities where products are sorted.
Fruits that are picked from vineyards and gardens after reaching maturity are sorted on sorting lines one by one before being put on the market. Appropriate standards are achieved during this process by removing fruits that are rotten and squished or that are not suitable for being delivered to customers for any reason.
Fruits must be stored under suitable conditions, if fruits are not going to be provided to customers immediately after sorting products following harvest. Storage conditions of each fruit are different. Optimum storage condition of fruits is to store them in 0 degree and in relative humidity of 90%-%95. Fruits must be stored at 0 degree right after being harvested and must be kept at 0 degree in cold storages in order to extend the life of products.
Growth in fruits ends after being harvested. Biological processes that cause deterioration of fruits gather pace concordantly. Condition, flavour, nutritional value and appearance of products are affected from this deterioration. A supporting protection must be provided to products in order to extend the life of sensitive fruits. Packaging methods are used for this purpose. Packaging is made mostly for internal packaging purposes and to protect products. Today, one of the most used packaging methods is modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). By MAP, environmental conditions are arranged and vital processes of products are decelerated. Products are preserved by passive MAP or active MAP. In passive MAP, products that do respiration are packaged hermetically by being placed in polymeric packages. Respiratory characteristic of the product creates a beneficial passive modified environment by adapting itself to the permeability of the film.
By active MAP, it is ensured that gases that are available around products are modified or remove
After harvesting fruits, one of the most important stages is to deliver products to customers without any deterioration. Yet, today, 25%-40% of fruits go bad on the road before being offered to consumers. Suitable logistic conditions must be satisfied in order to prevent such deterioration and to deliver products to customers freshly. Therefore, storage and transportation operations must be performed under professional conditions for such purpose. Trucks or lorries that have refrigeration units must be used during transportation of fruits to local and foreign destinations. Fruits that are being transported must be cooled beforehand, and also, temperature and humidity levels must always be controlled during transportation. Also, products must be fastened up in order to prevent them from being scattered around during transportation.
3 different temperature ranges are usually used in fruit-vegetable transportation. These are as follows:
-18°C/-25°C: Frozen products,
- 0°C/+4°C: Refrigerated products,
+8°C/+18°C: Cooled products.
In-vehicle temperature must remain in the required degree throughout the trip during transportation of frozen vegetables and fruits. Frozen products must be maintained at 18°C/-25°C in general. Otherwise, products would go bad when they are in frozen condition and their freshness would be lost.
