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Softening at the onset of grape ripening alters fruit rheological properties and decreases splitting resistance

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Applying principles of shell theory, we found that grape berries rapidly change their behavior from thick-walled spheres to pressurized thin-walled spheres and become susceptible to splitting during berry softening.

Abstract

Knowledge of the rheological properties of the skin of berry fruits is needed to make decisions concerning berry splitting prevention. However, how these properties and splitting resistance respond to varietal differences and developmental changes is poorly understood. In a customized injection test, pressurized water was injected into the berries of four grape varieties until they split. In a compression test, the deformation of berries in response to berry softening or dehydration was measured. Shell theory was applied to estimate how the internal pressure translates to tensile stress on the skin. The results suggested that berry softening at the onset of ripening drastically alters berry rheological properties; berries rapidly changed from brittle to ductile materials. The skin became the major stress-bearing structure during berry softening and became vulnerable to tensile stress, which was associated with a rapid decline in splitting resistance. The rate of decline and the absolute extent of the skin’s ability to bear stress varied by variety. Dehydration of overripe or water-stressed berries did not alter the skin properties but reduced the risk of berry splitting. These results indicate that the vulnerability to berry splitting is closely related to developmentally regulated changes in fruit rheological properties and water relations.

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Abbreviations

σ :

Applied stress

E :

Elastic modulus

ɛ c :

Compressive strain

ɛ s :

Strain at splitting

OYP:

Offset yield point

P i :

Internal pressure

P sf :

Interface pressure

R p0.2 :

Offset yield strength at 0.2% strain

R s :

Splitting resistance

T cs :

Critical shell tension

V i :

Injected water volume

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project 1000186, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Distinguished Professorship, and the Graduate School of Washington State University. We thank Lynn Mills and Alan Kawakami for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticulture, Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, 24106 N. Bunn Rd, Prosser, WA, 99350, USA

    Ben-Min Chang & Markus Keller

  2. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Prosser, WA, 99350, USA

    Yun Zhang

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  1. Ben-Min Chang
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  2. Yun Zhang
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  3. Markus Keller
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Correspondence to Markus Keller.

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425_2019_3226_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Supplementary material 1 Radius measurements on a grape berry in a perspective view, b front view, and c side view. The width is 2ra, the depth is 2rb, and the height is 2rc (PDF 52 kb)

Supplementary material 2 (DOCX 23 kb)

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Chang, BM., Zhang, Y. & Keller, M. Softening at the onset of grape ripening alters fruit rheological properties and decreases splitting resistance. Planta 250, 1293–1305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-019-03226-y

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