Brix

Overview

Our NIR equipment has the ability to measure brix in a piece of fruit.  Brix has been shown to correlate well with taste.  In most cases higher brix fruit will taste better than lower brix fruit.  The introduction of acidity testing will further enhance the consistency of taste between fruits. However, defined acidity scales for measurement will require further correlation with consumers tastes.

Individual fruit can range 10 brix from highest to lowest value in a packed carton. As most people can distinguish a difference of two degrees brix, consumers become disappointed with variability in flavour (brix and acid) of fruit they purchase. Within a single carton of fruit, brix distribution between individual pieces of fruit can vary as per the chart below of Californian peach variety.

How much variation is there in brix?

The average brix of fruit can vary considerably from grower to grower. Within a particular grower lot there can also be a wide variation from fruit to fruit.

Factors that are known to affect the brix of fruit include:
- the variety
- maturity at harvest
- growing techniques
- geographical conditions (climate and soil type)

The following graph shows the brix of kiwifruit from three different growers.