New Chilean plum variety wins over US consumers

Published 2023년 3월 24일

Tridge summary

A new late-harvest plum variety, Sweet Pekeetah, has been developed by the University of Chile. The variety, which has freckles on the peel and is known for its crisp, juicy flesh and high sweetness level, is the first commercial variety proposed by the university's Plum Tree Breeding Program. The variety is currently grown and marketed in Chile by 10 fresh fruit exporting companies and has been shipped to the US and China. Exports to China make up 92% of the volume. Chilean agro-exporter LaFrut is conducting a trial of the variety in the US to gauge consumer response and evaluate potential for meeting demand.

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Original content

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 ...

Source: Eastfruit