MELON TESTING AT THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN CYPRUS
We recently installed a TA.XTplus
Texture Analyser at the Agricultural Research Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus.
The instrument arrived just in
time with the harvest of watermelons for an important trial.
We were very happy to be able to
assist and train the new user ‘on the job’. Texture
Analysis was one of several methods used to assess melons of
different varieties, root stocks and post-harvest storage times. We
developed a method to accurately quantify the flesh firmness using
the Multiple Puncture Probe (A/MPP). The central pins were removed so
as to avoid the hard core which gave a mis-representative result. The
outer ring of pins were ideally located as they punctured the heart
of the melon yet avoided the seeds.
Sample preparation involved
cutting the melon in half and removing the blossom end with a sharp
knife to provide extra stability. The melon was presented to the
texture analyser and levelled if necessary to ensure a flat testing
surface. The penetration test was commenced. The area under the curve
was taken as the flesh firmness. The melon was then passed to the
next station for further destructive analysis including sugar
content, colour evaluation and lycopene content.
