ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL INJURIES CAUSED TO APPLES ALONG THE FRUIT HANDLING PROCESS

In modern agriculture and competitive markets the importance of fruit quality is significant. More than 30% of Golden Delicious apples are injured during common practice of picking, transportation and storage. These injuries cause quality reduction and loss of profit. The damage appears as fruit injuries such as light bruises, scratches, cuts and pits. In an effort to minimize the damage, a study was conducted to investigate sources of mechanical injuries decreasing fruit quality. The goal of the research was to explore at what stage and to what level of severity, mechanical injuries occur during fruit handling from the tree to the commercial sorting. A three years survey results of 3,000 apples examined each year in a regional packinghouse. Apples were sampled at different stations along the fruit handling process from the tree to the final sorting-line up to six month after picking. Several techniques, to minimize injuries have been investigated. The amount of added mechanical injuries at every step was recorded. Results indicated that a significant amount of the apples (35%) were injured during picking and in site transportation. Another additional significant portion of the apples (10%) were injured due to long-term storage.