Have you ever wondered how we determine the sweetness of a fruit is or if it’s ripe enough for shipping?

To measure the soluble sugars in fruit, we use a tool called a refractometer. Fruit that is ready for packing should have a consistent “sugar reading” to indicate full maturity, and the trick for any grower is to find the balance between a shippable firmness with an as-close-to-ripe texture and flavor.

These late-season East Coast peaches (in the above examples) are displaying 12% to a full 14% Brix reading which is the ideal measure for a very, very tasty flavor profile. These yellow peaches are truly “tree ripe”. Random samples from this particular pick shows a nice exterior color, a clean and consistent internal color and excellent juice content…and man are they great to eat!

Measuring for sugar is just one of several testing-components we use to make the best, in-the-field decisions for the fruit that goes out to our stores and customers, but the best part of testing is the tasting!