Transportation Vibration Effects on Apple Bruising

Abstract

Vibrations during transportation often cause mechanical damage to fresh produce. Addressing or mitigating this damage requires efficient packaging solutions that maintain fresh produce integrity during transit, thereby preserving produce quality and market value. This study investigates the effects of various transportation profiles and packaging designs on apple bruising using simulated truck vibrations. Two apple varieties, Fuji and Jonagold, were packaged in corrugated paperboard boxes with paper pulp trays, plastic crates with paper pulp trays, corrugated paperboard boxes with volume packing and plastic crates with volume packing, all commercial apple packaging. The packaged apples were exposed to two random vibration profiles: leaf spring and air ride suspensions, both set at four different intensities ranging from 0.2 to 0.7 Grms for 1, 3 and 5 h. The findings revealed that both packaging type and vibration parameters significantly influenced apple bruising. Especially, plastic crates with paper pulp trays led to the most severe bruising, whereas corrugated paperboard boxes with volume packing afforded the most protection. Regardless of the packaging design, leaf spring suspension resulted in more apple bruising compared to air ride suspension. The findings of this study provide practical insights for packaging engineers to mitigate the apple bruising during transportation.