Best Practices 

Fruit Selection and Storage has become very important today since most fruits are available all year, special attention must be taken in understanding the freshness of fruit and storing them properly to get the full advantage of such vast availability. Fresh produce in Honolulu is a special challenge because with the supply chain coming from many different sources. Whether local, country wide, or foreign, special attention to fine details will help to get the highest value from each purchase. Below is a video from the FDA. It is related to more public than wholesale produce purchase, handling and storage, but it is a good training for new employees and a refresher course for us all. 
http://youtu.be/WbhudxB3W-M

Depending on the quantity you purchase, grading the fruit in regard to your own schedule and demand will help to prevent waste in the long run. Familiarizing your staff with the key details to look for in each type of fruit will help in savings yourself from unwanted spoilage.

In grading, some fruit is will be best graded by its color, others by touch or smell. As chlorophyll breaks down in the fruit, the natural color of the fruit will start to increase. Since most fruit is picked early for shipping and different times of year will vary in the level of ripeness on delivery, staying attuned to these changes will serve you well in your being able to choose the best fruit to use that day. Some fruit needs to be a little soft and others must be very firm. For example avocados usually need to be a little soft to the touch while apples and grapes tend to be better when they are firm.

As for smell, you can tell a lot by fruit by its odor. Though when in cold storage most fruit tends not to give off much odor, usually after being in room temperature, the natural perfume smell of the fruit will start to radiate. Having your staff get use to the smell of exactly ripe and over ripe fruit will help in the day to day decisions on which fruit to use next.

Though this is not written as a detailed report on fruit storage, it is meant as a guide line to become more aware of the difference of between the different types of fruit, so you can be more attentive to the day to day handling. I have posted storage temperatures to help in this. More detailed Fruit Season Facts Click Here in these charts will help you understand more specific details. Fruit Storage Charts.