DELINEATION OF PUNCTURE FORCES FOR EXOCARP AND MESOCARP TISSUES IN CUCUMBER FRUIT

A puncture test was used to differentiate exocarp (skin) and mesocarp tissues of fresh cucumbers for resistance to penetration. Optimum instrumental test conditions were a punch size of 3.15 mm diameter and crosshead speed of 5 cm/min. The force required to penetrate the exocarp of whole fruit was determined and was deemed to represent a composite of the exocarp and the underlying tissue. By placing 7 mm thick, longitudinal slices skin down on a die plate, failure forces representing the mesocarp and exocarp tissues were determined in fruit ranging from 2.5-5.5 cm diameter. Exocarp force measurements were not influenced by slice thicknesses greater than 1 mm. Mesocarp measurements were lower with thicker slices, and required uniformity of thickness to maximize precision. The exocarp was found to represent about 60% of the composite force required to penetrate whole cucumbers, regardless of fruit size. Toughness of both exocarp and mesocarp increased with fruit size. The relative contributions of exocarp to penetration of seven other fruits varied from 58 to 88%.