The effects of drop impact on the quality changes of ‘Huangguan’ pear during the storage period

During postharvest processing, mechanical damage caused by impact during drops significantly affects the product quality of ‘Huangguan’ pears. In this study, the potential influence on postharvest fruit quality of the pears was investigated, by subjecting them to drop from different heights (200 mm, 400 mm, and 600 mm) onto various surfaces (steel plates, wood panels, and HDPE plastics). The experiments were performed under controlled conditions of 20 ± 1 ℃ and 85 ± 5% relative humidity, with storage periods of 0 d, 5 d, 10 d, and 15 d. Physiological and biochemical parameters of ‘Huangguan’ pears were measured during storage, including weight loss rate, chromaticity values, ethylene production, respiration rate, hardness, titratable acid content (TAC), soluble solids content (SSC), and others. Results showed that with increasing drop height and storage time, weight loss rate, a* value, b* value, ethylene production, respiration rate, and TAC gradually increased, respectively. In contrast, L* value, hue angle (H°), hardness, and SSC decreased, respectively. The steel plates had a more significant impact on the changes in fruit quality indicators, compared with the no-drop test (the control group), wood panels, and HDPE plastics. This study contributes to optimizing mechanical equipment design during processing and provides substantial theoretical support for reducing damage.