Advances in Multi-Scale Biomechanics of Fruits and Vegetables: A Review

Abstract

Fruits and vegetable (F&V) account for a large proportion of the market output, and reducing mechanical damage can improve economic benefits. During harvesting and storage of F&V, visible mechanical damage and unseen bruises can result from external loads. However, there are relatively few studies on the micro-damage of F&V, and the micro-damage changes are reflected in the macro. Therefore, it is necessary to establish macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic mechanical structure models. In this paper, the factors influencing the mechanics of F&V are analyzed, macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic mechanical analysis methods of F&V are reviewed, multi-scale mechanical relationships are explored, and future research directions of multi-scale biomechanics of F&V are prospected. The results show that future research direction should mainly focus on the force analysis of microscopic single cell, as it is the basis of mechanical analysis of F&V.