New Chilean plum variety wins over US consumers

Breeders from the University of Chile have developed a new late-harvest plum variety. 100% Chilean plum Sweet Pekeetah ripens in the second half of February in the southern hemisphere. The new variety has crisp, juicy flesh with a very high level of sweetness. In addition, this variety has characteristic "freckles" on the peel, hence the name "pequita" (peca - "freckle" from Spanish. - approx. EastFruit). The fruit can also be found in the market under the name Purple Honey (“Purple honey”), which emphasizes its unique sweetness. It is the first commercial variety proposed by the Plum Tree Breeding Program of the University of Chile and is grown and marketed in Chile by a group of 10 fresh fruit exporting companies. "Sweet Pekeetah is excellent for refrigeration, holding up well for 45-50 days at 0°C (32°F) without degrading its organoleptic properties," said Carolina Kusch, head of the university's intellectual property department. About 17 tons of these plums have been shipped ...