Variety Selection
- Aztec
- Fuji Royal
- Shortie
- Fuji Brak
- Kiku
Harvest Maturity
- Starch conversion: 30–40%
(Up to 60% for short-term RA storage, max 2 months) - Pressure: Optimum 7.5 kg
- Pip colour: Full brown
Bin Type
- Plastic bins preferred for long-term storage
Post-Harvest Drench
- Drench with chlorine
- Drench with Fludioxonil or Pyrimethanil (Fludioxonil preferred)
- Rotate Fludioxonil and Pyrimethanil annually
Decay Control
- Chlorine sanitation of bins
- Chlorine drench of fruit: 75–100 ppm
- Chlorine drench in presort and packhouse flumes
- Drench with Pyrimethanil or Fludioxonil
- Sanitation of cold storage rooms
- Handle fruit carefully to prevent injuries
- Maintain cold chain management
Intake
- Do maturity indexing to determine storage regime (RA/CA) and storage period
- Rank rooms by storage period (short, medium, long term)
- Flag young orchards (not for long-term storage)
Inspection
- Additional inspections required for most EU, FE, and UK supermarkets (higher quality than export minimum)
- Special markets (e.g., Taiwan) may have specific requirements
Cooling Protocol
- No forced cooling advised
- Re-cool with delivery temperature not lower than 0°C
- Fruit temperature should never be below 0°C; store at 0°–1°C
- First 48 hours: fruit is very sensitive to temperature stress
Step-Down Cooling
- First week: 5°C
- Remainder of storage: 1°C
RA Storage
- Fruit temperature should never be below 0°C
- Store at 0.5°–1°C
CA Storage
- Set store delivery temperature at 5°C
- Keep doors open during room filling
- Treat with 1-MCP within protocol (7 days after harvest)
- After 7 days, set delivery temperature at 0°C
- Use lime if scrubbers can’t keep CO₂ under 1% (preferably under 0.7%)—especially first 10 days of CA
- Monitor CO₂ levels from the start
- O₂ levels: 1.5% (lower levels may be an option)
DCA
- Not advisable—Fuji are prone to watercore
Presorting
- Fuji are prone to injuries from stem punctures
- Use chlorine in flumes
Packaging
- Use perforated bags or fold bags open at the top to prevent CO₂ build-up in cartons
Shipping
- Vents: Open 15%
- Temperature: 0°C