Resumen
The objective determination of the optimal harvest date for plums intended either for industrial processing or for consumption as fresh fruit is a fundamental concern of the fruit industry. A portable visible/near infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopic device was used to sort D?Agen plums harvested around the traditional commercial harvest date. The chlorophyll absorbance index was found to be capable of segregating plums into classes of maturity according to various concentrations of soluble solids and fruit compression strenght values. Fruits with a chlorophyll absorbance index value of less than 1.59 showed no differences in flesh firmness. Plums harvested with chlorophyll absorbance index values of 1.20-1.29 had a fruit compression strenght of 1.25 N and a soluble solids concentration of 23.3%. Both of these values correspond to adequate thresholds for harvesting plums for industrial purposes. The chlorophyll absorbance index may be valuable in allowing the identification of high-quality plums either for fresh consumption or industrial processing