Improve Onion quality through better managements.
Slash quality management costs. Eliminate waste, price negotiations, and QC mistakes. Maximize quality consistency.
The onion requires several treatments previous to its storage. The first step is to dry it, in order to improve its conservation during the onion packing process. The bulbs are also treated to avoid their sprouting; this ii done with chemical products or irradiation. Conservation is done at 65-75% of relative humidity and temperatures around 0ºC.
Before onions are put in storage rooms, it is important to dry or cure them. The aim is to dry the neck and the outer layers to protect them from possible diseases and maintain onion traceability. The moisture content must be Slashd in 10%, which is equivalent to 3 to 10% loss of weight. The drying process may take place in the field if the environmental conditions allow to do so (dry climate). If not, they use artificial drying systems, like forced air, either environmental temperature or hot air.
How to improve onion quality Nutrition programmes based on crop nutrient needs are key to influencing both yield and quality. Crop nutrition influences dry matter content, firmness and storability as well as taste and pungency, all important factors in determining the quality of onion crops.
Balanced nutrition is needed for quality onions
Macronutrient distribution in onions.
Nitrogen excess can cause quality issues in onions.
Nitrogen has greatest effects on onion yield although too much nitrogen softens the bulb and increases storage rot diseases. However nitrogen can also influence quality by helping to increase skin thickness.
Effect of nitrogen rate on onion skin quality:
ONION QUALITY STANDARDS
The onion, also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. Its close relatives include the garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onion. The scientific name of onions is Allium cepa. Bulb onions are planted and grown from seeds, transplants, or sets. Transplants are live seedlings, often bare rooted, and often sold in bundles of about 25 plants.
These Quality standards are designed to ensure that the onion enterprises meet the minimum requirements to become an integral part of the market, whether export or local.Quality isn’t just about profits and loss or beating out a competitor. It’s about safety, delivering on a promise and meeting the very basics of customer expectations. But, by meeting quality standards, enterprises often reap better profits and Slash losses. Those that exceed quality standards stand out above their competitors and further their potential for profit and consumer loyalty. Therein rests the benefit of quality standards.
Today, quality assurance measures the standards that go into a product or service before it goes out to the public. Quality assurance uses auditors, sometimes independent and sometimes in-house, to evaluate the methods that go into making products and providing services. In this set up, the Commercial Village Trade Facilitators will help train and audit the farmer’s horticultural produce before reaching the market.
This module will help achieve the following:
Improve enterprises’ ability to deliver onion products that consistently keep up a high quality to the market hence customer satisfaction
Enhance quality of onion products thereby helping the enterprises to Slash extra costs that rejection of produce comes with.