Instrumental measurement of pomegranate texture during four maturity stages

Abstract

Texture of pomegranate fruit and arils are the main quality attributes in the food process industries. In this study, the texture properties of pomegranate fruit and arils (cv. “Ashraf”) at four different stage of maturity (88, 109, 124, and 143 days after full bloom) were evaluated using the puncture test (rupture force and rupture energy) and compression test (bioyield force, rupture energy, and young modulus). The tests showed that all studied textural parameters were sensitive textural parameters for distinguishing the maturity stages. Rupture force and rupture energy of pomegranate fruit were determined at top, middle, and bottom positions of the fruit. The results showed that compression load values of aril increased with advances in maturity stage of fruit, while puncture load values of fruit decreased. The textural properties of pomegranate fruit and arils exhibited a strong dependence (p < .05) on the degree of maturity at harvesting time. Also results showed that rupture force of three different studied positions of fruit was severely different. The highest and lowest values were observed at top and middle position, respectively.

Mechanical properties of tender coconut (Cocos nuciferaL.): Implications for the design of processing machineries

“…The different responses exhibited by the flat positions of tender coconut as a result of nonhomogenous texture and fiber profile. Similar results were reported by Khodabakhshian, Emadi, Khojastehpour, and Golzarian () for pomegranate fruit at three different positions on the fruit. The effects of genotype, loading position and its interaction were found to be significant ( p ≤ .01) for deformation at rupture point (Table ).…”

The study and comparison of elastic modulus of pineapple fruit in macroscopic and microscopic modes

“…In addition, Poisson's value (ν = 0.5) was assumed with regard to a simplified model of the plant cell as the elastic cell wall filled with an incompressible fluid, corresponding to an incompressible material. Further, other studies assumed a value of 0.5 for the Poisson's ratio of agricultural produce and revealed that the Poisson's ratio of agricultural produce varied from 0.3 to 0.5 (C ardenas-Pérez et al, 2019;Khodabakhshian et al, 2019;Khodabakhshian & Emadi, 2011;Xi et al, 2015). of this research, Hertz's theory, because of using the whole fruit is more practical and is closer to reality, but Hooke's theory, due to recognition for bio-yield point in the force-deformation curve, is believed preferable.…”

“…In general, the elastic properties as elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio and stiffness of agricultural produce are particularly important in determining the loads that the material will safely bear. Especially for the comparison of the relative strengths of different agricultural produce and also design and developing of harvesting, handling and processing machines of these materials, an awareness of these properties is essential (Arnold & Roberts, 1969; Fridley, Bradley, Rumsey, & Adrian, 1968; Khodabakhshian & Emadi, 2011; Khodabakhshian, Emadi, Khojastehpour, & Golzarian, 2019; Shirvani, Ghanbarian, & Ghasemi‐Varnamkhasti, 2012; Zdunek & Kurenda, 2013). This had led many researchers to study elastic properties of different agricultural produce such as fruits, vegetables, and grains at several length scales: at macroscopy scale—agricultural produce' flesh (Khodabakhshian et al, 2019; Opara & Pathare, 2014; Pallottino, Costa, Menesatti, & Moresi, 2011), at microscopy scale—cell size and shape (Cybulska, Pieczywek, & Zdunek, 2012; Zdunek & Umeda, 2006), at the submicroscopy and nano scale—plants cell walls (Cybulska, Vanstreels, Ho, Courtin, & Nicolaï, 2010) and middle texture (Obeid & Guyomarc'h, 2020) composition and at nanoscale—monopolized polysaccharide structures and linkages in cell walls (Cybulska, Zdunek, Psonka‐Antonczyk, & Stokke, 2013; Ding, Shi, & Zhong, 2019).…”

“…According to the bibliography, many considerable researches on the elastic properties studies of agricultural produce have been investigated at the macro‐scale as indicated by compression tests on agricultural produce which are usually done using fully automatic laboratory machine such as Instron Universal Mechanical Testing Machine (Khodabakhshian et al, 2019; Shiu, Slaughter, Boyden, & Barrett, 2015) or Texture Analyzers (Foegeding & Drake, 2007; Giunchi, Versari, Parpinello, & Galassi, 2008). However, as many researchers shown the determination of the elastic properties of agricultural produce at the macro‐scale result widely varying values for a particular agricultural produce and presents a number of problems due to non‐geometry shape of most agricultural produce and their related multilayered structure (Arnold & Roberts, 1969; ASAE STANDARDS, 2000; Fridley et al, 1968; Khodabakhshian et al, 2019; Khodabakhshian & Emadi, 2011; Mohsenin 2nd, 1986; Opara & Pathare, 2014; Pallottino et al, 2011; Shirvani et al, 2012). On the other hand, as it was clear in literature review the elastic behavior studies of agricultural produce at both the micro and nano‐scale are needed as the structure at this level is many dynamic, for example, maturity of fruits during postharvest (Cárdenas‐Pérez et al, 2019; Posé et al, 2019).…”

“…At the microscopy scale, some researches reports are study on the agricultural produce by transmission/scanning electron microscopy (He, Feng, Yang, Wu, & Li, 2004); ice cream by light microscopy (Caillet, Cogne, Andrieu, Laulent, & Rivoire, 2003), fruit surface layers by confocal laser scanning microscopy (Veraverbeke, Verboven, Oostveldt, & Nicolaı, 2003), fruit and vegetables by cellular force microscope (Veraverbeke et al, 2003) and atomic force microscope (AFM) in living animal cells (Stewart, Toyoda, Hyman, & Müller, 2012; Zhou et al, 2009) and living plant cells (Cárdenas‐Pérez et al, 2019; Cybulska et al, 2013; Posé et al, 2019) were studied. At the macro‐scale also many of the studies have made use of the Hook's (on the cylindrical specimen), Boussinesq (cylindrical indenter contact on the cylindrical specimen) and Hertz (Parallel plate or single plate contact on the whole specimen and spherical indenter contact on the cylindrical specimen or whole specimen) theories in an attempt to describe some of the elastic properties of agricultural produce as elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, stiffness, firmness and hardness (Arnold & Roberts, 1969; ASAE STANDARDS, 2000; Khodabakhshian et al, 2019; Khodabakhshian & Emadi, 2011; Mohsenin 2nd, 1986; Shirvani et al, 2012).…”