On the 23rd and the 24th of August 2021, the Bissau-Guinean component of the WACOMP, funded by the EU and implemented by UNIDO, conducted an on-site experimental training on key fruit maturity indicators and parameters.
Twenty-one technicians from four key Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) in Guinea-Bissau benefited from this training which took place in the Fisheries Laboratory, in Bissau.
The objective of the two days’ training session was to provide capacity building for CAB technicians in the fields of determining the sugar content in fruit extracts/juices as well as assessing physical parameters such as fruit firmness.
Prof. Adalberto Vieira, UNIDO International Consultant and Chief Technical Advisor to the WACOMP-GB project, presented detailed information on the different methods that have an important use in defining the appropriate period for harvesting of fruits. Beyond this, the presented methodologies will also be beneficial to the CABs in assessing the fruit quality during storage and analyzing the state of fruit maturity for further industrial processing.
As the market for mango is growing with its popularity, the quality inspection process has become more defined. The assessment of these fruit maturity indicators in the near future, something that is not being done at this time, will help the Bissau-Guinean CABs, in particular, and the country, in general, to be better positioned to meet the commercial quality requirements of the fruits and its derivatives required by leading consumer markets.
An evaluation poll conducted at the end of the training showed that the participants found the training as very relevant to their quality inspection activities with an evaluation range higher than 4.0 on a scale from 0 (Insufficient) to 5.0 (Excellent).
For more information, please contact Bernard Bau (B.Bau@unido.org).
