Fruitkwaliteitsmeting vóór de pluk

The Fresco, developed by Vertigo, is a device that can determine the quality characteristics of fruit without damaging it. These characteristics include hardness, sugar content, acidity and dry matter. Because it is easy to take many measurements, resulting in a larger sample size than is usual with destructive techniques, the results are more reliable.

In the autumn of 2025, Vertigo, in collaboration with Wageningen Research in Randwijk, investigated whether the Fresco could be used in the phase prior to the harvest of apples and pears. Funding for this short-term research was provided by the Top Sector Horticulture & Starting Materials and Agri & Food.

Measuring prior to harvest will help to determine the optimal harvest time for each plot. This will facilitate harvest planning and ensure uniformity of harvested fruit. The project worked with the Xenia pear (via Xenia Europe) and the Gala (via Fruitbedrijf de Ruiter), Evelina and Wellant (via Fruitbedrijf Huids and Proeftuin Randwijk) apple varieties. The results are promising for the properties of hardness and sugar content (expressed as Brix value). Measuring in the field is not yet easy, but this project has provided insight into where improvements are needed to make this possible.

For more information about this project, please contact Peter Balk (peter.balk@wur.nl) or Pieter van Dalfsen (pieter.vandalfsen@wur.nl) at Wageningen Research.