Determination of Mechanical Properties of Banana Fruit under Quasi-Static Loading in Pressure, Bending, and Shearing Tests

The most important cause of product damage during the harvesting process is the mechanical operations carried out during harvesting and transferring of agricultural products. Reducing the product waste and maintaining the quality of the product is possible when the regulations and the product properties are taken into consideration. The importance of being aware of the mechanical properties of fruits in designing and optimizing systems related to their production, processing, and packaging has been known. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanical properties of banana as it is an important fruit regarding its nutritional value in nation feeding. Thus, in this research, some mechanical properties of banana are determined to contribute to the improvement of processing this product. The mechanical properties of the samples and their lengths were measured under the conditions of pressure (bruise), bending (break), and shearing of the banana halves using a Zwick/Roell Instron testing machine based on the recommended standards. It was found that maximum forces required for bruising, bending, and shearing of the banana fruit were 194, 46.26, and 48.06 N, respectively. In order to minimize mechanical damage, the pressure forces caused during the transfer of the products must be reduced to the minimum rate possible (lower than 194 N). The low modulus of elasticity of 0.00308 MPa in banana fruit shows lower resistance of the banana fruit and its sensitivity to pressure stresses.