Using non-destructive impact testing for sorting fruits Original Research Article

Two varieties of apples and pears were tested in the laboratory to measure their response to a small energy impact applied by an impact tester. Samples of fruits of increasing ripeness were tested over several weeks. Non-destructive impacts and other destructive and non-destructive measurements of ripeness were applied to the fruits. The non-destructive impact test was used to sort fruits with different firmness. New software was developed to control the impact test, calculate the 11 parameters, and sort the fruits. This software creates and subsequently uses a database to carry out the sorting. An on-line impact device for automatic detection of firmness was then designed and tested.