Mechanical Properties African Eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L. Bello) Fruits, as Influenced by Maturation

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the importance of maturation level on the mechanical properties of agricultural materials. In this study, some mechanical parameters (failure force, failure energy, rupture force and rupture energy) of Bello eggplants were tested in three maturation levels. The fruits were harvested at periods of 25, 30 and 35 days after pollination (DAP), and the mechanical parameters tested for immediately using the Universal Testing Machine. The results showed that maturation of the eggplant fruit had significant effect (P ≤ 0.05) all the mechanical parameters tested for. From the results, the failure force increased by about 100% between maturity stage 1 and stage 2; before it drops again by about 28% between stage 2 and stage 3. The rupture force increased from 353.88      N to 700.20 N between maturity stages 1 and 2 but decreased to 542.91 N as maturity processed to stage 3. The data obtained from this study will be helpful in designing harvest and post-harvest machines for eggplant production.