1. STUDY ON OIL PALM FRESH FRUIT BUNCH BRUISE
IN HARVESTING AND TRANSPORTATION
AS A FUNCTION TO QUALITY
Andreas Wahyu Krisdiarto and Lilik Sutiarso

2. INTRODUCTION
• Indonesia is a biggest oil palm planter in the world. It has
9.074.621 Ha oil palm plantation, which produce 23.521.071
tonnes crude palm oil (CPO) in 2012. Exported palm oil (CPO)
value was about US$ 11.605 M/year.
• Main parameter in palm oil quality is free fatty acid (FFA)
content. Higher FFA content, worst the quality.
• FFB should has no more than 2% FFA content when it come in
processing line, in order to get CPO with FFA content no more
than 5%.
• Inappropriate fruit handling often bruise the fruit and damage
the fruit cell wall. This will result in increment of FFA content.
• There is a risk to fruit to be bruised when falling down at
hervesting. In transportation, there also a potensial damage to
the fruit, due to fruit’s throwing, loading, vibrating, and droping.
• Indonesia is a biggest oil palm planter in the world. It has
9.074.621 Ha oil palm plantation, which produce 23.521.071
tonnes crude palm oil (CPO) in 2012. Exported palm oil (CPO)
value was about US$ 11.605 M/year.
• Main parameter in palm oil quality is free fatty acid (FFA)
content. Higher FFA content, worst the quality.
• FFB should has no more than 2% FFA content when it come in
processing line, in order to get CPO with FFA content no more
than 5%.
• Inappropriate fruit handling often bruise the fruit and damage
the fruit cell wall. This will result in increment of FFA content.
• There is a risk to fruit to be bruised when falling down at
hervesting. In transportation, there also a potensial damage to
the fruit, due to fruit’s throwing, loading, vibrating, and droping.

3. MATERIALS AND METHODS
• main object to be observed : oil palm freshfruit bunch. The
research objective was studying bruise or damage of fruit at each
harvest and post harvest step, i.e. harvest, manual transportation
form field to fruit polling place (FPC), and transportation from FPC
to factory loading ramp, and related it with the FFB quality.
• The harvesting was done for some variety in trees height, and at
mineral soil as well as at peat soil.
Sample: 20 randomly taken samples for each treatment.
Methods
• two treatments of land, three treatments of trees height, and two
treatments of truck. Oil palm field land treatments were mineral
land and peat land. Oil palm trees height treatment were 5-7m, 10-
12 m, and 15m. Treatment of transportation media (truck) means
type of its bin(wooden board or iron plate).
• main object to be observed : oil palm freshfruit bunch. The
research objective was studying bruise or damage of fruit at each
harvest and post harvest step, i.e. harvest, manual transportation
form field to fruit polling place (FPC), and transportation from FPC
to factory loading ramp, and related it with the FFB quality.
• The harvesting was done for some variety in trees height, and at
mineral soil as well as at peat soil.
Sample: 20 randomly taken samples for each treatment.
Methods
• two treatments of land, three treatments of trees height, and two
treatments of truck. Oil palm field land treatments were mineral
land and peat land. Oil palm trees height treatment were 5-7m, 10-
12 m, and 15m. Treatment of transportation media (truck) means
type of its bin(wooden board or iron plate).

4. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data analysis
• The statistic method used : T-test and Anova. Graphical analysis : to find
correlation between independent factor and level of bruise and FFA
content. The bruise index that can be related to FFA was using formula
(Hadi, 2009):
1X1+ 2,5X2 +5,5X3 + 10X4
Bruise Index (BI)= ---------------------------------------
100
X1, X2, X3and X4 = % weight of the fruits with no bruise (A), minor bruise
(B), moderate bruise (C) and major bruise (D) respectively.
• The formulas used to predict FFA from bruise index :
– FFA (just ripe) = 0,122 + 0,502BI; ( r = 0,823)
– FFA (ripe) = 0,76 + 1,287BI; ( r = 0,905 )
Data analysis
• The statistic method used : T-test and Anova. Graphical analysis : to find
correlation between independent factor and level of bruise and FFA
content. The bruise index that can be related to FFA was using formula
(Hadi, 2009):
1X1+ 2,5X2 +5,5X3 + 10X4
Bruise Index (BI)= ---------------------------------------
100
X1, X2, X3and X4 = % weight of the fruits with no bruise (A), minor bruise
(B), moderate bruise (C) and major bruise (D) respectively.
• The formulas used to predict FFA from bruise index :
– FFA (just ripe) = 0,122 + 0,502BI; ( r = 0,823)
– FFA (ripe) = 0,76 + 1,287BI; ( r = 0,905 )

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION-1
1. FFB quality degradation due to bruise in Harvesting: mineral
land and peatland.
• The average FFA of on-mineral harvested FFB was 2.19 while on-
peatland harvested FFB was 1.27 (p=0.01)
• Generally, mineral land is harder than peat land  The percentage of
moderate and major bruise was higher, gave rise to higher bruise index
35.0
• There is significant Bunch
Average Weight (BAW) increase
when the trees is higher
• Bruise index and FFA was higher
for higher trees.
y = 1.49x + 8.2
R² = 0.943
y = 0.105x + 1.288
R² = 0.641y = 0.006x + 1.585
R² = 0.832
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
trees height (m)
BAW
BI
FFA
Linear (BAW)
Linear (BI)
Linear (FFA)
• There is significant Bunch
Average Weight (BAW) increase
when the trees is higher
• Bruise index and FFA was higher
for higher trees.

6. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION-2
2. FFB quality degradation due to bruise within field handling: in
field handling and collecting in fruit collection point (FCP / TPH)
y = 0.000x + 0.604
R² = 0.519
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
FFAoffruit
• bruise index increase as tree-FCP
distance increase, cause in FFA content
increment
• Potential cause of FFB bruise on
rickshaw/wheelbarrow: bumpy path &
overload rickshaw
• there was no significance correlation
between bunch weight and bruise
index (and FFA content) when FFB
dropped from rickshaw/wheelbarrow
to FCP.
• potentially cause of higher bruise : FFB
arrangement in sequential lineup by
harvester, which comprise
lift, drag, and drop the FFB.
0.00
0.10
0 50 100 150 200 250
tree-FCP distance (m)
• bruise index increase as tree-FCP
distance increase, cause in FFA content
increment
• Potential cause of FFB bruise on
rickshaw/wheelbarrow: bumpy path &
overload rickshaw
• there was no significance correlation
between bunch weight and bruise
index (and FFA content) when FFB
dropped from rickshaw/wheelbarrow
to FCP.
• potentially cause of higher bruise : FFB
arrangement in sequential lineup by
harvester, which comprise
lift, drag, and drop the FFB.

7. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION-3
3. FFB quality degradation due to bruise in transportation: loading
to truck, vibration in truck
• loading FFB from FCP to truck bin has high possibility to damage fruitlets, due to
the impact of the throwing and dropping.
• The impact on upper layer throw may be lower due to the FFB fall on previous
thrown FFB.
• The FFB bruise in loading ramp is lower
than in truck bin  damage caused by
throwing was higher than vibration on
transporting FFB from FCP to loading
ramp.
• The quality degradation (indicated by FFA
content) increased noticeably in series
activities from collecting at FCP, loading
to truck, and unloading on loading ramp
 quality degradation in prior activity
will affect the next.
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
bottom layer
top layer
3. FFB quality degradation due to bruise in transportation: loading
to truck, vibration in truck
• loading FFB from FCP to truck bin has high possibility to damage fruitlets, due to
the impact of the throwing and dropping.
• The impact on upper layer throw may be lower due to the FFB fall on previous
thrown FFB.
• The FFB bruise in loading ramp is lower
than in truck bin  damage caused by
throwing was higher than vibration on
transporting FFB from FCP to loading
ramp.
• The quality degradation (indicated by FFA
content) increased noticeably in series
activities from collecting at FCP, loading
to truck, and unloading on loading ramp
 quality degradation in prior activity
will affect the next.
0.00
0.50
1.00
Truck Bin Loading Ramp
y = 0.796x + 0.749
R² = 0.682
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50
5.00
harvesting FCP truck bin Loadng Ramp

8. CONCLUSION
• There was different bruise area between mineral land harvested FFB
and peat land harvested FFB. The average FFA of on-mineral harvested
FFB was predicted higher than on-peatland harvested (2.19%
compared to 1.27%).
• Higher the oil palm tree, bigger the bunch average weight (y = 1.49x +
8.2). Bruise index and FFA of FFB also tend to be higher at higher tree
harvesting (y = 0.105x + 1.288).
• Bruise index (and FFA content) increased as tree-FCP distance
increased, but there was no significance correlation between bunch
weight and bruise index.
• In loading process, fruit quality degradation at truck bin bottom layer is
higher than at top layer (FFA=2.79% compared to 0,64%). Fruit damage
caused by throwing to truck bin was higher than by vibration on
transporting (2.79% compared to 1.62%)
• The quality degradation noticeably increased in series activities from
harvesting, collecting at FCP, loading to truck, and unloading on loading
ramp (palm oil factory)
• There was different bruise area between mineral land harvested FFB
and peat land harvested FFB. The average FFA of on-mineral harvested
FFB was predicted higher than on-peatland harvested (2.19%
compared to 1.27%).
• Higher the oil palm tree, bigger the bunch average weight (y = 1.49x +
8.2). Bruise index and FFA of FFB also tend to be higher at higher tree
harvesting (y = 0.105x + 1.288).
• Bruise index (and FFA content) increased as tree-FCP distance
increased, but there was no significance correlation between bunch
weight and bruise index.
• In loading process, fruit quality degradation at truck bin bottom layer is
higher than at top layer (FFA=2.79% compared to 0,64%). Fruit damage
caused by throwing to truck bin was higher than by vibration on
transporting (2.79% compared to 1.62%)
• The quality degradation noticeably increased in series activities from
harvesting, collecting at FCP, loading to truck, and unloading on loading
ramp (palm oil factory)