Determining the Optimal Harvesting Time of Fresh Fruit Bunches Based on the Yield of Oil and Carotene

Abstract

The timing of harvesting oil palm fruit might affect the quality of the oil palm product. Mostly, The approximate number of palm oil fruits that have broken off from their bunches (loose-fruit) is usually used to measure the ripeness of fruit. The goal of this study was to establish the ideal harvesting period with variations in the amount of palm oil fruits that were loose from their bunches using two indicators: oil yield and carotene content. The variance was dependent on one factor: the number of days after the fruit was discovered unfastened from its bunch. The results showed that the percentage of palm oil fruits that were separated from their bunch and the planting age were both related to the quality of the fresh fruit bunches (FFB). The ideal harvest period can be carried out from day two until day four after the first time of unmounted fruits, which have a high oil yield of 46.6%–48.1% and a yield of carotene of 400–600 ppm.