10 Facts About Pineapples You Never Knew

9. The Pineapple's Journey from Field to Table

Advertisement

From the field to your table, a pineapple's path is complicated and calls both careful farming and transportation. Usually growing in well-drained soil, pineapple plants are propagated from suckers or crowns. The plant matures and finally generates one fruit throughout 18 to 24 months. Pineapples unlike many fruits do not keep ripening after harvest, hence timing is quite important. Farmers consider the colour of the fruit's shell and the sugar content—often measured with a refractometer—as among several markers of the ideal harvest period. Pineapples are rapidly taken from harvest to packaging facilities where they are cleaned, graded, and ready for shipment. Because the fruit naturally resists pests, post-harvest treatments are few as compared to many other fruits. Maintaining the quality of the fruit depends on keeping the correct temperature and humidity, though, during transit. Usually transported still green, pineapples let their natural golden hue emerge during transportation or at their final destination. This guarantees they reach consumers at best quality and helps to increase their shelf life. To keep freshness, processed pineapple goods—such as canned pineapple or juice—quickly process the fruits upon harvest. Depending on the destination, the whole process—from gathering to getting on the grocery shelf—can take few days to many weeks. This trip shows the difficult logistics required in delivering tropical fruits to consumers worldwide and the attention paid at every stage to guarantee the pineapples reach in the best possible shape.