Monitoring and control of the internal quality of pears

Pears are one of the most important fruits in Europe. There are a number of varieties that are of economic importance. Growers want to have control over the harvesting and (long term) storage conditions in order to bring fruit of optimal quality to the consumers. In this contribution a number of pear properties are discussed that affect the quality and the quality evolution of pears. Measurement techniques for quality before and after harvest are also discussed. They include non-destructive acoustic measurements, X-ray tomography and MRI. Pear shape is non-spherical which has implications for non-destructive firmness measurement. It also plays a role in the diffusion and exchange of respiratory gasses with the surroundings. If storage conditions are not properly maintained then severe storage disorders may occur. Copyright (C) 2001 IFAC.