Pineapple – Pina MD2

Description

Pineapple MD2, which was first commercially grown in the 1980s, was developed to satisfy demand for fresh pineapples with exceptional sweetness as well as uniformity and consistency in size and ripeness.

Compared to other pineapple cultivars, MD2 is considered superior because the uniform bright gold colour, sweeter taste, four-times Vitamin C content, lower fibre, lower acidity and smaller fruits on average at about 2-2.5kg each.

Due to its superior eating qualities, MD2 commands around three times the price of other more commonly found pineapple varieties.

The journey of this variety from idea to development can be traced back to 1961 when the Pineapple Research Institute (PRI) in Hawaii was funded by a consortium of companies formed by Dole, Del Monte and Maui Pineapple Company to select and breed a new superior pineapple.

In 1975, Maui Pineapple Company took responsibility for the hybrids developed at the PRI. MD2 was originally known as “73- 114” but later renamed MD2, in honour of Millie Dillard, the wife of the then General Manager of the pineapple company.