Avoiding economic losses by proper segregation of apples based on maturity indicators prior to storage

Abstract Economic losses resulting from inadequate segregation of fruit for different periods of storage in the packinghouse lead to decreased revenue for the farmer and increased costs to the packinghouse. This paper proposes an operationally practical decision-making procedure for apple segregation prior to storage based on maturity indicators, and taking into account the capacity of the packinghouse facilities. A segregation criterion is proposed to transform the quantity of apple needed to fill storage rooms into maturity restrictions, on the basis of information available in real time prior to storage. The calculation of maturity restrictions is based on a short-term prediction of maturity indicators. The loss function, presented in an “all-or-nothing” form, is utilized to compare the economic efficiency of the decision-making procedure for different methods of prediction and for present practice of apple segregation by the “first in–last out” rule. A simulation model is used for numerical realization of the proposed method of apple segregation with industrial data.