Abstract
Postharvest damage, leading to loss and waste, continues to be a significant problem in the fresh produce industry. Trays, designed to reduce fruit-to-fruit contact, are utilized by the apple industry to minimize bruising of whole apples. During distribution, packaged apples are subjected to various supply chain hazards, which may lead to bruising damage. Currently, molded fiber (MF) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) trays transport whole apples from the packhouse to the retail outlet. Mechanical shock, by free-fall drop method, was used to evaluate the performance differences between the two trays and quantify the bruising characteristics of the apples. Results showed that the EPS trays provided better shock protection to the apple as compared to the MF tray, reducing the impact acceleration by more than 70%. Additionally, the bruise susceptibility was 40% less for the apples packaged inside the EPS trays, regardless of drop height. However, apples packaged in the middle layer trays were most susceptible to bruising damage, regardless of tray type.
Highlights
The objective of this research was to investigate the bruise susceptibility of whole apples during mechanical shock inside ventilated corrugated containers when packaged using either molded fiber (MF) or expanded polystyrene (EPS) trays, including the bruise frequency and impact acceleration experienced by the fruit
This study indicates drops free-fall, promoting bruisesusceptibility damage and reducing quality
MFthe trays, regardless of drop was confirmed in both bruise analysis performed on individual apples as height
Summary
Products are exposed to a variety of supply chain hazards, such as mechanical shock, vibration, and compression. In apples, these hazards can result in bruising to the fruit, altering their quality and perceived deterioration by consumers, especially during bulk display at retail [1,2,3,4,5,6]. A wide range of packaging formats are available, most of them are not designed to adequately protect the apples during transit, resulting in bruise damage still being a frequent quality problem for growlers and retailers [1].
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