Melon Market Requirements
Melons must have clean skins and be free of any dirt or major blemishes such as brown or white areas.
They should have no splits or cracks and skins must have a clean sheen. Top Grade, US No.1 watermelons also need to be free of anthracnose, decay, sunscald and from damage caused by other diseases, hail, scars, insects, hollow heart, white heart or mechanical injury.
The mature fruit will have a distinct sound when tapped – turning to a soft, hollow sound when mature – compared to a metallic ring during earlier stages of development. The sweeter the melon, the better the end melon quality. Sweetness is assessed as Total Soluble Solids (TSS) content. This is usually measured by hand refractometry. Minimum sugar values need to be 8%.
Watermelons
Watermelons are ripe for eating when they have a crisp textured, deep red and sweet flavored flesh. Crops for distant markets are usually harvested when mature, but before they are fully ripe. If harvested immature, they will never achieve the desired sweetness.
Watermelons need to be harvested before the vines become withered. Tendrils near to the fruit are wilting and brown, and the ground-spot on the belly of the melon will have changed from white to light yellow. The fine vine hairs within 3cm of the fruit will have disappeared. Watermelons should be cut off the vine.
Cantaloupes
Cantaloupes are generally harvested when they reach a desired grade or size and are at the firm-ripe stage, but not fully mature. Although Cantaloupes vary in their color, a deep green indicates physiological maturity and a deep yellow tan, full ripeness. Creamy or creamy-yellow colors are desirable.
It is important that the pulp is completely filled-in. Any melon with hollow centers will result in the seed moving around during transport, thereby bruising the flesh.
At maturity, the stem will partially pull free. This is usually referred to half-slip stage. More commonly though, Cantaloupes are harvested at three quarters slip stage, when just a quarter of the stem adheres and breaks rather than slips free. Harvesting before this significantly reduces sugar content as half of the final sugar content is accumulated in the last week or so prior to this.
