Influencia del estado de madurez sobre las propiedades viscoelá sticas de frutas tropicales (mango, papaya y plátano)

Abstract

In this investigation the relation of maturity states with viscoelasticity in two mango varieties (puerco and corazón), hawaiian papaya and plantain, were determined. Maturity state was determined by visually examining the color of the fruit, according to a maturation scale. Viscoelastic properties were determined by stress compression-relaxation tests using a texturometer. Two common models, generalized Maxwell and Peleg, were fitted to the experimental data. For all fruits, Maxwell model better described the viscoelastic behavior of the fruits. The two mango varieties showed the same viscoelastic behavior at different maturity states, while for papaya and banana, the elastic behavior decreased with maturity state.