The perfect taste experience of pears

Consumers can buy pears almost all year round. The new harvest is just around the corner and will soon be available in stores. This means hard pears on the shelves. Will they ripen and what will consumers think of them?

When hand-held pears first appeared in France and Italy at the end of the 16th century, many varieties were given the name “Beurré”, which means “butter” in French. An understandable name, as most consumers expect a ripe pear to be soft, juicy and sweet. It should melt in the mouth, as it were.

Many different varieties

Although most consumers are only familiar with Conference as a dessert pear, there are of course many other varieties available, such as Doyenné du Comice, which is the second most widely grown variety in the Netherlands and Belgium after Conference. But there are also Rode Doyenne van Doorn (Sweet Sensation) and Oksana Xenia (Xenia).

The Doyenné du Comice and Sweet Sensation are a welcome addition for some consumers with a hard fruit allergy, as these pear varieties can often be eaten by people with a mild allergy. All these different pear varieties have their own optimal eating time, with corresponding hardness.

The perfect taste experience

Unlike apples, pears are a tricky product. Pears ripen faster than apples, which is something consumers and retailers need to take into account.

When pears are ripe, they are vulnerable to damage and bruising. They need to be hard enough to transport and ripe enough to be tasty shortly after purchase. This is a difficult balance to achieve. As soon as the pear is really tasty, we see an increase in damage on the shelf.

At Normec Foodcare, we measure pears year-round and see that in the first 3 to 4 weeks of the harvest, the pears are so hard that it often takes more than a week for them to ripen, or that they do not ripen at all. As a consumer, you cannot see this and are disappointed, especially at the start of the season. Pears bought in the supermarket should actually be ready to eat two to three days after purchase. Keep this in mind during the first few weeks and ripen the pears if necessary, so that the start of the season goes smoothly.

Your partner in the world of fruit and vegetables

The quality and availability of fruit and vegetables fluctuate constantly. In addition to daily tasks such as inspecting fruit and vegetables, there are new challenges. These include reducing packaging materials, the increasing focus on taste, the fruit and vegetable knowledge of new staff, improving specifications, optimising seasonal transitions and introducing new cultivation techniques.

In this complex fruit and vegetable world, Normec Foodcare is your partner. We give you control over the quality of fresh produce. We do this by:

• Monitoring quality in supermarkets

• Product comparisons

• Shelf life testing

• Taste testing

• Store inspections

• Product specifications

• Secondment of inspectors & quality managers

• Fresh produce quality training

Our team of fruit and vegetable experts and inspectors is there for you. With many years of knowledge and experience, we know better than anyone how you, as a grower, importer or supermarket chain, can make a difference in fruit and vegetables.

Need help?

We are happy to help you with complex quality issues. Together with you, we make a difference in the daily lives of consumers. See what we can do for you or contact us. Our AGF experts are happy to help you.

Author: Normec Foodcare

Knowledge partner in food safety, product quality and taste