The evaluation of vibration damage in fresh apricots during simulated transport

Abstract

The transportation of fruits over longer distances could lead to damage fruits such as apricots. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of transportation factors including the vibration frequencies (17 and 20 Hz), the vibration time (15 and 30 minutes), the fruit cultivar (Shahroudi and Urdoobad), and the package type (2 types) on the apricot damage. An electro-dynamic lab vibration simulator was used to simulate the road transportation and a fruit damage index (FDI) was used as a criterion to evaluate the damage based on the classifying bruises into five different categories. The statistical analysis indicated that, except for the package type, the other factors (apricot cultivar, frequency, and vibration duration) had a significant effect on the FDI (P < 0.01). The vibration damages considerably changed by the apricot cultivar and increased by the frequency and duration. The results indicated that the Urdoobad cultivar was more resistant to the damage and could be used for export purposes to transport in distances more than 1,000 km. The maximum damages occurred at a frequency and duration of 17 Hz and 30 min in the Shahroudi cultivar, respectively.