Spherical Fruits Research Articles

Morphological Features of Fruits and Seeds of Some Species of the Genus Crataegus L. of the Flora of Ukraine

Abstract The genus Crataegus L. is one of the largest species in the family Rosaceae Juss. The fruits are used as medicinal raw materials ( Crataegus fructus ), as they contain a set of biologically active compounds. The genus is voluminous and taxonomically problematic due to significant variability, hybridization, apomixis, and polyploidy. As a result, it is difficult to determine the species of the genus. Species of the genus have a number of diagnostic features, one of which is a distinct fruit with seeds. The aim of our study was to identify and compare the diagnostic features of the fruits of seven species of the genus Crataegus flora of Ukraine, which are most often used as medicinal raw materials and are the most common in Ukraine – Crataegus laevigata , C. monogyna , C. pentagyna , C. pseudokyrtostyla , C. sanguinea , C. fallacina , and C. rhipidophylla . The study was performed using scanning and digital microscopy, and descriptions were made by standard methods. As a result, we identified features that clearly distinguished the studied species from each other. We identified mature fruits that contain only one pyrene ( C. monogyna , C. pseudokyrtostyla , C. fallacina , and C. rhipidophylla ), and several pyrenes ( C. laevigata , C. pentagyna , and C. sanguinea ) among the studied species of the genus. The studied species are characterized by spherical and ellipsoidal fruits. The predominant color is fulvous/brown with different shades, but almost-black fruits of the species C. pentagyna are well distinguished. Fruits of all studied species of the genus are fleshy, except C. sanguinea , which is floury. The species is characterized mainly by yellow flesh fruits, except C. pentagyna , which has ribbed fruits. The fruits of C. monogyna plants differ from those of other studied species by the spinous-tuberous surface relief. Pyrenes of triangular shape are observed only in C. pentagyna . We suggest that these features can be used as additional diagnostic tools to determine the species of the genus Crataegus flora in Ukraine.

Chemical Characterization, Nutritional and Bioactive Properties of Physalis peruviana Fruit from High Areas of the Atacama Desert.

Physalis peruviana L. belongs to the Solanaceae family and produces a spherical fruit used to treat various diseases. However, the chemical composition, nutritional characterization, and bioactive properties of the P. peruviana growing in the Andean region of the Atacama Desert have not been conducted so far. The results showed clear differences in the nutritional and bioactive characteristics of the fruits grown in arid environmental conditions, which were comparable to those from countries with a production tradition. The fruits studied showed a higher Ca, Cu, Mn, P, and Zn content and bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and tannins than those reported in the literature. UHPLC was performed to determine the main phenols. Gallic acid was identified as the predominant phenolic compound in this species (303.63 mg/100 g FW), of which to our knowledge no previous study has reported similar concentrations in this species. Moreover, Cape gooseberry extract has antioxidant and antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Pseudomonas syringae (MIC 0.313 mg/mL and MBC 1.25 mg/mL) was the most susceptible bacterium. Meanwhile, Erwinia rhapontici was the most resistant bacterium (MIC and MIB 5.00 mg/mL). Furthermore, it was found to inhibit α-amylase activity with an IC50 value (39.28 µg/mL) similar to that of acarbose (35.74 µg/mL). These results expand the knowledge of the species cultivated in arid environmental conditions and suggest an alternative for the potential use of this fruit to manage chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Online accurate detection of soluble solids content in navel orange assisted by automatic orientation correction device

Non-destructive online sorting system for fruit quality are gaining importance in the global agro-industry as they allow for optimising harvesting, storage and marketing management decisions. The most commonly used sensing technology is visible-near infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy. However, in online detection, the reproducibility of spectra is easily affected by fruit placement attitude. Up to now, little or no work considered the problem of attitude correction before spectral acquisition. This work aims at filling this gap. In this study, Vis/NIR diffuse transmission technology was used to detect the soluble solids content (SSC) in navel oranges, the analysis models of SSC in navel orange with consistent-orientation (T1: navel upward, T2: navel forward, and T3: navel leaning with an angle about 30°-60°), mixed-orientation (mix of T1, T2 and T3) and corrected-orientation (T2 correction) were established. Partial least square regression (PLSR) combined with different spectral pretreatment and effective wavelengths (EWs) selection methods were used to establish the optimal SSC analytical models. Root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV), correlation coefficient of calibration (RC), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), correlation coefficient of prediction (RP), residual predictive deviation (RPD) and the ratio of error range (RER) are used as the evaluation indicators of the model. The results show that the inconsistency of the placement attitude affects the prediction accuracy. The mixed-orientation model contains inconsistent placement information of the fruit orientation, and the robustness of the model is improved, but the prediction accuracy decreased. In the consistent-orientation model, the best analytical results can be obtained with the T2 placement orientation. The automatic orientation correction device based on image processing technology can correct the attitude of randomly placed navel orange samples according to the T2 orientation. The analytical accuracy of the model is further improved. In the corrected-orientation model, the best SSC analytical model can be obtained using NWS-MSC (Norris Williams smoothing - multiplicative scattering correction) pretreatment and VCPA (variable combination population analysis) variable selection methods, and RP, RMSEP, RPD and RER of the optimal prediction model were 0.981, 0.313 °Brix, 5.176 and 16.613 respectively. This method can be extended to the online analysis of other spherical fruits.

Physicochemical and nutritional properties of jussara pulp powder (Euterpe edulis M.) by spray-drying

The jussara palm (Euterpe edulis) is well known for its great presence in several Brazilian states and produces an edible palm heart and spherical fruits popularly known as jussara. Due to their high anthocyanin content, these fruits contain only one light brown seed that is covered by thin and dark purple skin. This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of different mixtures of carrier agents (CA) (modified starch-MS plus whey protein concentrate-WPC or soy protein isolate-SPI) on the characteristics of microcapsules containing spray-dried jussara pulp powder. Four treatments, 30%CAC+17.5%MS:WPC, 17.5%CAC+30%MS:WPC, 30%CAC+17.5%MS:SPI and 17.5%CAC+30%MS:SPI, were evaluated, where CAC=carrier agent concentration (g carrier/g jussara pulp solids) and the proportions MS:WPC and MS:SPI indicate the grams of protein (WPC or SPI) per 100g of carrier. The concentration of 30%CAC+17.5%MS:WPC improved the wettability, anthocyanin content, total phenolic content and encapsulation efficiency. The particles presented smoother surfaces with a reduced number of folds when WPC was present. The usage of WPC or SPI mutually with MS was shown as a valid option in the spray drying of jussara pulp.

Identification of Common Skin Defects and Classification of Early Decayed Citrus Using Hyperspectral Imaging Technique

Automatic detection of fruit skin defects is always one of the main tasks of post-harvest processing of citrus fruit. However, it is a challenge to identify different types of defects simultaneously due to a high rate of unpredictability in texture and color of defects. In addition, as a typical spherical fruit, the uneven lighting distribution on the citrus is also one of the main problems causing low accuracy of defect detection. This study observed that the feasibility of using visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) hyperspectral reflectance imaging technology to identify the common seven types of skin defects on oranges and also classify the early decayed oranges from other samples simultaneously. Segmented principal component analysis (PCA), such as Vis-NIR-PCA, Vis-PCA and NIR-PCA, was first performed to reduce data dimensions and obtain the optimal principal component (PC) that was used to extract several characteristic wavelength images. Five characteristic wavelength images centered at around 540, 623, 675, 805, and 975 nm were selected based on the optimal Vis-NIR-PC2 image and weight coefficient analysis. The mean normalization method was used to correct the uneven lighting distribution on spherical orange fruit based on characteristic wavelength images. The multispectral image processing algorithms for detection of all defective oranges and classification of early decayed oranges are developed, respectively. For the investigated 397 independent test samples, an overall classification accuracy of 97.73% was obtained for differentiating normal and defective oranges based on mean-PC images combined with the improved watershed segmentation algorithm, and identification rate of 100% was obtained for classifying decayed and non-decayed oranges based on mean-PC5 and a simple global threshold. The results of this study can be used as a reference to develop the fast and low-cost multispectral image detection system for the rapid detection of defective citrus fruit and classification of specific oranges with early decay synchronously.

Development and Testing of a Low-Cost Belt-and-Roller Machine for Spheroid Fruit Sorting

Sorting is one of the most critical factors in the marketing development of fruit and vegetable and should be performed without any damage to the product. This article reports results of the development and testing of a prototype of a low-cost mechanical spherical fruit sorter based on a belt-and-roller device built at the State University of Tabriz, Iran. The efficiency and damage effect of the prototype of the machine was tested at different sorting rates on apples (Red Delicious and Golden Delicious) and oranges. Performance tests indicated that the speed of the feeding belt and transporting belt as well as the spherical coefficient significantly affect the machine’s sizing performance and damages. The results of the test showed a 95.28% and 92.48% accuracy in sorting for Red Delicious and Golden Delicious, respectively, and 94.28% for orange. Furthermore, the machine sorts fruits without any significant damage.

Impact of foliar spray with 24-epibrassinolide on yield, quality, ripening physiology and productivity of the strawberry

Increasing the productivity, yield and quality and modulating the ripening physiology of the fruit is considered as a main concern for the fruit growers. Brassinosteroids (BRs), as natural phytochemicals, are produced endogenously during fruit development and play a vital role in regulating its developmental, ripening and quality formation processes. In this study, the effects of different concentrations of exogenous 24-epibrassinolide (EBL), a common brassinosteroid, on ripening physiology, quality parameters and yield of strawberry fruit was studied. Foliar spray of strawberry plants and developing fruits with EBL significantly modulated the pattern and rate of fruit growth, decreased the fruit growth duration and enhanced the precocity rate. Visual indices such as size, shape and color of the fruits were significantly affected by EBL treatment. EBL at 1 μmol/L enhanced fruit growth rate and had no significant effect on the shape, but at 4 μmol/L significantly decreased the length/diameter ratio and resulted in the production of more spherical fruits with a very short growing period. However, a decrease in flesh firmness was observed in fruit treated with higher EBL concentration. EBL treatment significantly enhanced fruit weight, water content, total phenolics and anthocyanin contents and carbohydrate metabolism. The results indicate that the use of brassinosteroids can be considered as a novel method for modulating the growth pattern, yield and different quality parameters in strawberry fruits.

Control of pathogenic bacteria on the surface of rolling fruits by an atmospheric pressure air dielectric barrier discharge system

Atmospheric pressure cold plasma technology has great application potential in the field of food safety. A novel atmospheric air dielectric barrier discharge device has been designed to generate plasma directly on the surface of spherical fruit. This device consists of the quartz tube, the high-voltage electrode attached to the outer wall of the quartz tube, and the fruit placed onto the inner surface of the quartz tube, acting as the ground electrode. The intensified charge-coupled detector images show that a uniformly scanning discharge channel is formed between the surface of treated substance and the inner wall of quartz tube. When the treated substance is rolled in the device, the uniform plasma is directly formed over the fruit surface. The bactericidal efficiency of plasma against pathogenic microorganisms on rolling fruit surface has been studied. The number of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) on the surface of fruit treated by plasma for 15 s in rolling state is 1.57 log10 CFU less than that of the static state. Compared with the initial bacterial concentration, the number of S. aureus on the surface of 1 cm2 decreases by 5.9 log10 CFU after plasma treatment of rolling fruit for 15 s. In conclusion, the fruit surface is uniformly treated by the novel plasma device and S. aureus on the fruit surface was sterilized without causing thermal damage to the fruit surface.

Development of Grading Machine for Citrus Fruits (Valencia Orange)

This research aims to develop and fabricate an innovative and simple prototype of a grading machine for citrus fruits. This research was conducted in the workshop at the college of Agri. Eng. Al-Azhar Univ., Assiut. Design feature includes three major characteristics are a simple design and ease of use, its parts are locally available materials and ease of construction in addition to possibility sizing most of spherical fruits by changing some adjustments. The machine was adjusted to the grading of Valencia orange fruits into five categories. The results revealed that the suggested design achieved high sizing efficiency by using the machine at an angle of inclination of the tilted flat (Af) that corresponds to the coefficient of static friction of fruit types graded. Also, the roller of the grading system must rotate against the fall of the fruit in order not to get stuck between the roller and the tilted flat. But, it was clear that no effect for speeds of the revolving roller on the machine performance. Percentages of the machine efficiency were 78.2, 94, and 77.8 % at values of the angle ( ) 16o, 20o and 24o respectively using the speed of the revolving roller ( = 10 rpm). Also, the results indicated that the machine throughput capacity did not change significantly by increasing the speed of the revolving roller at any given angle. The maximum values the machine throughput capacity were 105, 136.8, and 152 kg/h. at values of the angle ( ) 16o, 20o and 24o respectively using the speed of the revolving roller ( = 10 rpm).

Fruit Architecture in Polyamine-Rich Tomato Germplasm Is Determined via a Medley of Cell Cycle, Cell Expansion, and Fruit Shape Genes.

Shape and size are important features of fruits. Studies using tomatoes expressing yeast Spermidine Synthase under either a constitutive or a fruit-ripening promoter showed obovoid fruit phenotype compared to spherical fruit in controls, suggesting that polyamines (PAs) have a role in fruit shape. The obovoid fruit pericarp exhibited decreased cell layers and pericarp thickness compared to wild-type fruit. Transgenic floral buds and ovaries accumulated higher levels of free PAs, with the bound form of PAs being predominant. Transcripts of the fruit shape genes, SUN1 and OVATE, and those of CDKB2, CYCB2, KRP1 and WEE1 genes increased significantly in the transgenic ovaries 2 and 5 days after pollination (DAP). The levels of cell expansion genes CCS52A/B increased at 10 and 20 DAP in the transgenic fruits and exhibited negative correlation with free or bound forms of PAs. In addition, the cell layers and pericarp thickness of the transgenic fruits were inversely associated with free or bound PAs in 10 and 20 DAP transgenic ovaries. Collectively, these results provide evidence for a linkage between PA homeostasis and expression patterns of fruit shape, cell division, and cell expansion genes during early fruit development, and suggest role(s) of PAs in tomato fruit architecture.

First New World Record of a Gall Midge from Palms: A New Species of Contarinia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Geonoma cuneata in Costa Rica

Abstract Contarinia geonomae Gagne, new species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is described from galls found on the infructescences of Geonoma cuneata (Arecaceae) in Costa Rica. The galls are cylindrical in shape and develop concurrently with or instead of the spherical fruit. The larval chamber is located at the base of the gall, partially embedded in the infructescence. Most galls contain a single larva but some contain multiple larvae. As the gall reaches maturity the interior becomes hollow and the pupa pushes through the frayed apex just before adult emergence. Galls are most evident during the last half of the year, coincident with fruit production, but adult emergence appears to be staggered thoughout much of the year. Compared with other Contarinia, the larvae of C. geonomae are unique in having a four-pointed spatula and papillae that are nearly all devoid of setae. The pupae are unique for their prominent prothoracic spiracles.

Genetic mapping reveals a candidate gene (ClFS1) for fruit shape in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.).

A 159bp deletion in ClFS1 gene encoding IQD protein is responsible for fruit shape in watermelon. Watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] is known for its rich diversity in fruit size and shape. Fruit shape has been one of the major objectives of watermelon breeding. However, the candidate genes and the underlying genetic mechanism for such an important trait in watermelon are unknown. In this study, we identified a locus on chromosome 3 of watermelon genome controlling fruit shape. Segregation analysis in F2 and BC1 populations derived from a cross between two inbred lines "Duan125" (elongate fruit) and "Zhengzhouzigua" (spherical fruit) suggests that fruit shape of watermelon is controlled by a single locus and elongate fruit (OO) is incompletely dominant to spherical fruit (oo) with the heterozygote (Oo) being oval fruit. GWAS profiles among 315 accessions identified a major locus designated on watermelon chromosome 3, which was confirmed by BSA-seq mapping in the F2 population. The candidate gene was mapped to a region 46kb on chromosome 3. There were only four genes present in the corresponding region in the reference genome. Four candidate genes were sequenced in this region, revealing that the CDS of Cla011257 had a 159bp deletion which resulted in the omission of 53 amino acids in elongate watermelon. An indel marker was derived from the 159bp deletion to test the F2 population and 105 watermelon accessions. The results showed that Cla011257 cosegregated with watermelon fruit shape. In addition, the Cla011257 expression was the highest at ovary formation stage. The predicted protein of the Cla011257 gene fitted in IQD protein family which was reported to have association with cell arrays and Ca2+-CaM signaling modules. Clear understanding of the genes facilitating the fruit shape along with marker association selection will be an effective way to develop new cultivars.

Structure Design and Image Recognition Research of A Picking Device on the Apple Picking Robot

Picking robot is the inevitable trend of the development of orchard harvester technology in the future. However, automatic apple picking technology is difficult to achieve because of uncertainty in distribution, inconsistent maturity, and uneven quality and other issues. It is hard to locate the position of apples accurately. Therefore, after summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of apple harvesting technology at laboratory and abroad, a picking device was designed. The device is based on the purpose of distinguishing the maturity of apples and consists of shell, cutting device, power device. It can achieve efficient and rapid fruit picking and more accurate differentiation of maturity. For other similar spherical fruit also has some applicability.

Cottony jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) as a valuable medicinal fruit and decorative plant

The characteristic of the biological characteristics of three varieties (Koktebel, Yuzanin, Radoslav) and three forms (forms 1, 2, 3) of Ziziphus jujuba, which have decorative features are given. Described varieties and forms are grown in the experimental farm «Novokakhovsky» (Kherson region). The recommendations for their use in landscaping southern Steppe of Ukraine are developed. We recommended using Ziziphus plants in landscape design in single and group plantings when creating plant compositions. Jujube decorates green lawn, perfect for creating avenues or shady corner. Unique is the form of 3 which sinuously-curved «serpentine» shoots. It almost does not overgrow, but needs annual formative pruning. No less interesting is the shape 2 (bush), needs no pruning, has a beautiful, spherical shape of the crown, continuing throughout life. Late in the growing season comes, it is not damaged by spring frosts, heavy, regular fruits, the fruits are stored on the bush until frost and winter partially on the plant than enhance decorative. Promising for use in landscaping is a variety of Koktebel. Plants in this class are of medium-grown, not prickly, with a very spreading, medium thick crown. The plant is decorated with large light-brown spherical fruits. Both the shape and grade of Koktebel will fit perfectly the landscape design as tapeworms. The results of biochemical analysis of fruits, leaves and shoots Ziziphus jujube are given. We determined the total content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids in the leaves, shoots and fruits of Ziziphus. A high content of phenolic compounds, and the maximum concentration was found to be present in Ziziphus leaves.

Fruit Packing Feeding Device Based on the ANSYS Analysis Research

As an agricultural country, China have a large fruit production, the spherical fruits such as apples, oranges were deeply loved by people. At present Chinese fruit export volume is small, mainly because the fruit quality is unable to guarantee the quality of export. The traditional artificial feeding sorting method is of low efficiency and the intensity of labor is heavy. The development of automation at a high speed, automatic feeding and sorting equipment provides a new way of fruit industrialization. Based on the study of spherical fruit’s properties and packing properties, take apple as example, analyzing the loading process of packing with the software of ANSYS, this paper design a batch feeding device.

Volatile compounds, antioxidants, and anticancer activities of Cape gooseberry fruit (Physalis peruviana L.): An in-vitro study

Background/aim Cape gooseberry is golden-colored spherical fruit commercially produced in Egypt. It is primarily used in folk medicine for treating some diseases. To identify the aroma compounds in Cape gooseberry and to evaluate its antioxidant activities as well as its anticancer (for colon and breast cancers) effects in human cell lines. Materials and methods The volatile compounds were identified using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Polyphenols (phenolics and flavonoids) were also determined. Antioxidant activity was determined by three different methods: 2,2΄-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azinobis(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Anticancer (for colon or breast cancer) activity was determined in cancer cell lines using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Results A total of 34 components of the essential oil were identified by GC and GC-MS. The volatile compounds were grouped in classes of substances, including 11 terpene compounds (six monoterpenoids and five sesquiterpene), 11 esters, five alcohols, two phenolic compounds, two aldehydes, two ketones, and one lactone. Terpenes (monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes) were the most abundant volatile constituents, accounting for the largest portion of the total volatiles (36.09%). The next most abundant compounds were esters, comprising 17.17% of the total volatile components identified. Phenolic compounds were the next most abundant compounds, comprising 16.04% of the total volatiles. Alcohols and aldehydes represented 6.37 and 1.88% of the total volatile compounds, respectively. Ketones and lactones are less abundant in the profile of volatile compounds in Cape gooseberry. Ethanol extract had higher phenolic and flavonoid contents than did hexane extract. As ethanol extract of Cape gooseberry achieved higher antioxidant activity than did hexane extract, it tested as an anticancer (for colon or breast cancer) agent. Cape gooseberry extract was more potent in inhibiting colon cell lines (IC 50 : 142 μg/ml) compared with breast cell line (IC 50 : 371 μg/ml). Conclusion Egyptian Cape gooseberry fruits may be suggested as a potential source of natural antioxidants and anticancer agents.

Development of a Hyperspectral Computer Vision System Based on Two Liquid Crystal Tuneable Filters for Fruit Inspection. Application to Detect Citrus Fruits Decay

Hyperspectral systems are characterised by offering the possibility of acquiring a large number of images at different consecutive wavebands. To ensure reliable and repeatable results using this kind of optical sensors, the intensity shown by the objects in the different spectral images must be independent from the differences in sensitivity of the system for the different wavelengths. The spectral efficiency of the acquisition devices and the spectral emission of the lighting system vary across the spectrum and the images, and therefore the results can reproduce these variations if the system is not properly calibrated and corrected. This is particularly complex, when several LCTF devices are used to obtain large spectral ranges. This work presents the development of a hyperspectral system based on two liquid crystal tuneable filters for the acquisition of images of spherical fruits. It also proposes a methodology for acquiring and segmenting images of citrus fruits aimed at detecting decay in citrus fruits that has been capable of correctly classifying 98 % of pixels as rotten or non-rotten and 95 % of fruit.

Automatic detection of common surface defects on oranges using combined lighting transform and image ratio methods

Automatic detection of fruit peel defects by a computer vision system is difficult due to the challenges of acquiring images from the surface of spherical fruit and the visual similarity between the stem-ends and the true defects. In this study, oranges with wind scarring, thrips scarring, scale infestation, dehiscent fruit, anthracnose, copper burn, canker spot and normal surface were researched. A lighting transform method based on a low pass Butterworth filter with a cutoff frequency D0=7 was first developed to convert the non-uniform intensity distribution on spherical oranges into a uniform intensity distribution over the whole fruit surface. However, the stem-ends were easily confused with defective areas. In order to solve this problem, different color components (R, G and B) and their combinations were analyzed. It was found that a ratio method and R and G component combination coupled with a big area and elongated region removal algorithm (BER) could be used to differentiate stem-ends from defects effectively. Finally, a processing and classification algorithm based on a simple thresholding method was proposed. The result with 98.9% overall detection rate for the 720 independent sample images indicated that the proposed algorithm was effective in differentiation of normal and defective oranges. The method, however, could not discriminate between different types of defects.

Can Fruit-form be a Marker for Argan Oil Production?

Deforestation is an important matter for the argan forest whose preservation necessitates planting trees. Macroscopic parameters are urgently needed to identify trees presenting good potential as oil producers. This study demonstrates that argan oil produced from kernels of apiculate fruit is richer in d-tocopherol, whereas oil produced from spherical fruit is richer in linoleic acid, and that produced from fusiform fruit is richer in oleic acid. Therefore, the use of fruit-form as a marker could permit an easy organic production of "naturally enriched" oils.

Application of signal processing technique for the modification of a fruit sorting machine

The objective of this study involves the optimise process of a sorting machine for spherical fruits, which are currently manually classified with a low level of efficiency in Iran. An instrumentation system is modelled and fabricated for the development of a fruit sorting machine. Mechanical components and control system are assembled on a chassis for fruit transferring and classifying. A gravity duct transfers the fruits toward six ejection points which is manipulated by pneumatic cylinders and magnetic valves. Peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) criterion is employed to analyse the work quality of the mechatronic system. The PSNR experimental results specify that noise and vibration significantly affect the machine performance. To redesign the fabricated machine, the mechanical system of conveyor and actuators are separated from measuring and control unit. Field trials were conducted to modify the machine characteristics based on the minimum damage for the fruits. To avoid bruising in apple fruits, Golab variety, the duct slope was fixed at 0.02 which produces the maximum fruit velocity of 1 m/s. With no injury on apple fruit the sorting capacity of 130 kg/h is achieved for the machine.