Fruit Quality Update

Quality drops with focus on high bruising in Perth

Australian Hass avocados were 86% acceptable in August, down from 93% in July and falling short of the industry target of at least 90%. Fruit sampled in Perth showed high bruising levels, with 34% classified as unacceptably bruised. The high bruising contributed to the lower proportion of acceptable fruit; however, even when Perth results are excluded, August quality only rises to 89% acceptable fruit. This decline is the result of all defect levels increasing compared with July (Figure 1).

The high bruising levels observed in Perth possibly relate to a higher-than-average proportion of ready to eat avocados on display at the time of sampling, highlighting the importance of good merchandising practice in stores. In August, 52% of displayed fruit was classified as ready to eat, up from 24% in the previous round, which had 5.5% unacceptable bruising. To isolate the cause of the elevated bruising levels, an additional Perth sampling round will be conducted, using trays taken from the back of stores rather than the display.

Figure 1. Unacceptable Australian grown fruit by defect type (>10% defects) in July and August 2025.

Maturity monitoring program continues with focus on Western Australian and Tristate Hass

The AV22011 wholesale maturity monitoring program continued through August and into September, with a focus on Western Australian and Tristate Hass. A total of 13 samples were collected during this period, with 2 from Western Australia, 10 from Tristate and 1 from New South Wales. Of these, 3 Tristate and 1 Western Australian sample failed to meet the industry minimum standard of 23% dry matter (Figure 2).

Figure 2. August and start of September 2025 Hass dry matter levels

Well done to growers Agriexchange Solara, Alan Hartley, Avowest, Golden Hill, Goldup Farms, Marrbiz, Parkes Lane Produce and Romeo’s Best Farms for meeting quality standards.

To ensure consumers have the best eating experience, make sure that fruit you harvest meets the minimum dry matter standards of 21% for Shepard and 23% for Hass. Continue to monitor your dry matter levels as your harvest progresses. More information on dry matter testing is available HERE.

This article appears as part of the 15 Sept 2025 issue of Guacamole, our enewsletter.

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