TEXTURAL DETERMINATION OF MONTMORENCY CHERRIES USING SHEAR COMPRESSION AND STONE REMOVAL FORCES

Selection of firm tart cherry cultivars has traditionally been limited by instrumental limitations when measuring cherry texture. Current methods estimate cherry texture by evaluating skin strength and/or turgor pressure rather than pericarp firmness. An attachment to a Kramer Shear Press was designed and built to determine the force required for stone removal. Pericarp strength was measured by placing pitted cherries in a shear/compression cell and measuring shear, compression, and extrusion forces. Preliminary testing indicated stone removal force with shear/compression force may be useful for determining texture of tart cherries in cultivar screening studies.