COMPRESSIVE STIFFNESS AND FRACTURE PROPERTIES OF APPLE AND POTATO PARENCHYMA

The compressive mechanical properties of fruit and vegetable parenchyma are related to the morphology of the material such as size, shape and orientation of cells and intercellular spaces, and cellular adhesion. Uni-axial compression tests on geometrical specimens of apple and potato flesh have shown that apple parenchyma is mechanically very anisotropic whereas potato shows no such behaviour. Apple flesh is highly orientated in the cortex into radially elongated cells and intercellular spaces. If the flesh is compressed along the rows of cells (radial) it generally fractures by a collapse of single layer of cells at right angles to the force. If the flesh is compressed at right angles to the rows of cells (tangential) it fails in shear. It is stiffer radially but tougher tangentially requiring greater deformation to fail. There is no orientation of such morphological structures in potato and hence the compressive properties are not dependent on the direction. It always fails in shear. Mature late season apples tend to be stiffer and tougher than early apples as they have smaller cells and thicker cell walls. Early season apples become mealy quickly and cracking occurs by cell separation due to the early breakdown of pectins in the weak intercellular lamellae. This makes them mechanically much weaker than late season apples where cell adhesion is strong and cracking occurs by cell rupture, a process requiring greater force and energy.