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`Redhaven' peaches [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] were dropped onto several impact surfaces to determine impact conditions that initiate bruising. After impact, the peaches were tested for flesh firmness and sorted into firm, soft, and very soft groups for bruise analysis. The drop height that did not bruise decreased as fruit softened. The peach shoulder area bruised most easily. A drop of only 8 mm onto a hard surface initiated bruising on a soft peach, whereas a Poron 15250 cushion could protect the peach for a ≤85-mm drop. Impact damage threshold estimates were developed for the three flesh firmness conditions. The threshold estimates and impact history information collected by an instrumented sphere can be used to develop handling equipment design and operation guidelines that essentially avoid impact bruises on peaches.
Abstract
An infrared CO2 analyzer system was used as a nondestructive and rapid means of monitoring the CO2 evolution of blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.), and tart cherries (P. cerasus L.). An increase in the CO2 evolution of blueberries and cherries caused by impact-induced bruising was correlated with percent product decay. This technique may be useful in evaluating bruise damage caused by harvesting and handling systems.
Respiration rate and bruising incidence were assessed in new cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars adapted to high temperatures. `Bing', `Brooks', `Tulare', and `King' respiration rates were evaluated at 0,5,10, and 20C, and bruising susceptibilities at 0, 10, 20, and 30C. `Bing' was the least susceptible to bruising and had the lowest respiration rate at all temperatures. Respiration rate increased with temperature in all cultivars. Impact bruising damage was greatest in all cultivars when fruit flesh was below 10C. Vibration damage was not influenced by fruit temperature. Our results suggest that the cherry cultivars assessed should be handled at temperatures between 10 and 20C during packing to minimize bruising damage. Due to increased respiration rates at higher temperatures, however, fruit should be cooled to 0C within 4 to 6 hours after harvest.
The handling of mechanically harvested vegetables typically results in significant impact damage (bruises, broken or splits) when falling 1.8 to 2.8 m into empty field transport vehicles. To reduce this damage, reinforced vinyl hammock designs were suspended 0.7 m above the bottom of the container on rubber elastic springs. As the vegetables filled the hammock it settled to the floor. The hammock and spring system provided cushioning and significant damage reduction compared to when vegetables directly impacted the bare floor. Field studies with the hammock showed a 65 to 80% damage reduction to the first 15 to 20 cm depth of carrots and onions and 50% reduction in pickling cucumbers and potatoes. Compared to active systems such as an air bag, passive decelerators are simple, relatively inexpensive and significantly reduce impact damage. The cost effectiveness depends on the number of fills per season. Typical frequency of use of high-lifts in carrots (30 to 35 times/day) will pay for the hammock system in 1 season. To maintain field quality for the consumer, the impact damage encountered in field harvesting and handling operations can and must be reduced.
Ripe yellow papaya fruit in the markets frequently show green sunken areas called “green islands” (GI). This disorder seems to be caused by mechanical injury in a commercial postharvest handling system. Fruit at different stages of ripeness (5 to 50% yellow) were dropped from different heights (0 to 100 cm) onto a smooth steel plate to try to create GI. The injury sustained was not the same as GI seen in fruit from the handling system. Fruit (10 to 15% yellow) dropped on different grades of sandpaper (220 mesh to 36 mesh) from a height of 10 cm had injury symptoms similar to those seen on fruit from the handling system. These results suggest that abrasion damage was more important than impact damage in papaya fruit. Heating fruit at 48°C for -6 hours or until fruit core temperature (FCT) reached 47.5°C aggravated the severity of GI. Delaying the time of heating from the time of dropping did not significantly lower the severity of GI, except for fruit heated 24 hours after dropping. Waxing fruit alleviated the severity of GI. The results indicate that avoidance of abrasive surfaces such as the plywood walls of field bins is the best approach to avoiding the unsightly GI blemishes on papaya peel.
, external bruising of tomatoes has not been clearly described in relation to internal bruising. Most researchers who have studied the influence of impact damage have studied externally visible damage instantly after harvesting or grading. These researchers
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rate of sunscald did not exceed 3% for any shade treatment, thus limiting possible economic impact. Damage from sunscald may be more critical in open field conditions, with losses from sunscald that were shown to be as high as 49% on red bell peppers
harvest to minimize heat exposure ( Robbins and Moore, 1992 ). However, Edgley et al. (2019d) found that ‘Ouachita’ berries exposed to impact damage at warmer initial temperatures (>25 °C) before instantly cooling to 2 °C before a week in cold storage