A procedure for testing padding materials in fruit packing lines

Abstract

Padding materials are commonly used in fruit packing lines with the objective of diminishing impact damage in post–harvest handling. Two sensors (IS 100 instrumented sphere and UC–LPF impact tester) were compared to analyze the performance of six different padding materials used in Spanish fruit packing lines. Padding materials tested were classified according to their capability to decrease impact intensities inflicted on fruit in packing lines. A statistical procedure to test padding materials was tested for Golden Delicious apples. Its basis is a multiple logistic regression to predict bruise probability in fruit. The model combines two groups of parameters: padding material parameters measured with the IS, and fruit properties.