ABSTRACT
The cherry is one of the most widely cultivated of all fruits and is commonly found in temperature climate zones of the world. There are two commonly cultivated species of cherries, Prunus avium, the sweet cherry, and Prunus cerasus the sour cherry. The condition of the attached stem on a cherry is often used as an index of quality by individuals in the fresh produce area. Mechanical harvesting of sweet cherries for the fresh market is not feasible under present conditions. Sweet cherry size is expressed in terms of the number of rows of cherries that fit into the 12 or 20 lb box. Storage life of sweet cherries is directly related to temperature and humidity. Research into the nutritional properties of cherries has been very limited, and little is known of the vitamin content of cherries during maturation. More than 90% of the total sugars in cherries are reducing sugars with some sucrose, fructose, and glucose.
