Assessment of Physical, Chemical and Mechanical Properties of Nectarines

It is essential obtain adequate data on the physical and mechanical properties of a crop to reduce crop loss and maintain the quality of crops at and after harvest and to design and optimize machines for post-harvest processing. In this investigation, the physical and mechanical properties of nectarines (var. Independence) from the Takestan region of Qazvin province were studied. The largest diameter (61 mm); mean diameter (59 mm); smallest diameter (57 mm); mass (97.74 g); volume (1123.17 cm); density (0.99 g/N); geometric mean diameter (59.10 mm); surface area (102/30 cm2); and sphericity coefficient (97%). The chemical properties showed acidity for Independence nectarines to be 1.3% and sugar to be 11%, making it tart. The coefficient of friction for multi-layer materials (wood, aluminum, galvanized sheet metal) showed a static friction coefficient varying from 0.321 for an aluminum surface to 0.389 for a wood surface layer. In addition, the break force was 58.9 N, deformation was 10 mm, and fracture energy at break point 0.3 J and 1.34 kJm-3.