Mechanical damage resulting from excessive impact force during handling and other postharvest operations from harvesting to consumption is a critical quality problem in fresh produce marketing. The study investigates the impact of bruise damage, storage temperature, and storage period on the physiological responses of Omani pomegranate fruit cultivar ‘Helow’. Fruits were subjected to low (45°; 1.18 J) and high (65°; 2.29 J) impact levels using a pendulum test by hitting the fruit on the cheek side. Bruised and non-bruised fruit were stored at 5 and 22 °C for 28 days. Bruise measurements, water loss per unit mass, water loss per surface area, firmness, fruit size measurements, geometric mean diameter, surface area, fruit volume, color parameters, respiration rate, and ethylene production rate were evaluated. Bruise area, bruise volume, and bruise susceptibility of damaged pomegranate fruit were increased as impact level, storage duration, and storage temperature increased. Pomegranates damaged at a high impact level and conditioned at 22 °C showed 20.39% weight loss on the last day of storage compared to the control and low-impact-bruised fruit. Firmness and geometric mean diameter were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced by bruising at a high impact level. Impact bruising level and storage temperature decreased lightness, yellowness, browning index, and increased redness over time. Furthermore, the respiration rate was five times higher in the non-bruised and low- and high-impact-injured fruit stored at 22 °C than that stored at 5 °C. The ethylene production rate recorded its highest value on day 21 in high-level-impact-bruised pomegranate fruit. The bruise susceptibility was strongly correlated with the majority of the studied parameters. This study can confirm that bruising can affect not only the visual quality characteristics but also the physiological attributes of pomegranate fruit; therefore, much care is required to preserve fresh produce and avoid any mechanical damage and losses during postharvest handling.

Bruise damage is one of the mechanical injuries that fresh produce can sustain during the postharvest supply chain. The study investigated the effect of drop impact levels, storage temperatures, and the storage period on the quality changes of cucumbers. A known mass ball was used to damage cucumbers once from three different drop heights (30, 60, and 90 cm) before they were stored for 24 days at 5 °C, 10 °C, and 22 °C. The data showed that the bruise area (BA), bruise susceptibility (BS), yellowness, and chroma* increased with the increase in the drop height and storage temperature. The study found that the bruise area (BA) and bruise susceptibility (BS) of the damaged cucumbers increased substantially (p < 0.05) with the increase in storage temperature and drop height. Due to the increment in drop height, storage temperature, and the storage period, the weight loss (Wl)% significantly increased after 24 days of storage. The storage period affects the firmness of damaged cucumbers stored in all storage conditions. The highest value of lightness (L*) was observed for the cucumbers bruised from the 60 cm drop height and stored at 22 °C with a value of 43.08 on day 24 of storage. Hue*, redness (a*), and total soluble solids (TSS) were all unaffected by the drop height. This study can serve as a resource for horticultural researchers and experts involved in the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain. The study pays attention to the importance of postharvest supply chain activities, such as handling and storage to maintain the quality and prolong the shelf life of perishable produce, such as cucumbers.

Mechanical damage is a threat to both food security and sustainability. Bruising is the most common type of mechanical damage, and it causes a huge economic loss due to rejection of fresh produce and downgrading of the appearance quality by consumers. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of bruising during postharvest handling using a pendulum test technique. Pomegranate fruit were bruised once at two impact levels (1.189 ± 0.109 and 2.298 ± 0.239 J) and then stored (at 5 °C ± 1 °C and 22 °C ± 1 °C) for 28 days. The study evaluated the effect of impact bruising, storage temperature, and duration on the bruise magnitude and quality attributes of the bruised and non-bruised pomegranates. The results showed that the investigated factors affect the bruise size of bruised pomegranates. Increasing storage temperature from 5 to 22 °C and impact level from 1.189 to 2.298 J increased the bruise area, bruise volume, and bruise susceptibility over time. Alterations in total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA%) were statistically (p < 0.05) induced by bruising, particularly at a high impact. The total soluble solids (TSS) content was reduced in all tested pomegranate fruit (bruised and non-bruised) and recorded the highest percentage decline in those impacted at a high level and stored at 22 °C, at 16.81%. The combination of both studied factors did not affect the water activity (A_w) of aril or the mesocarp of bruised or non-bruised fruit. Bruising parameters and quality attributes were strongly correlated in this study, excluding water activity (A_w). The regression models showed a good determination coefficient (R²) between the predicted and measured values of bruise susceptibility (BS), total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA%), and sugar: acid ratio (TSS:TA). The study demonstrates that bruising at a high impact level and long-term storage both affected the susceptibility of pomegranates to bruise, and altered fruit quality. Thus, these factors need to be considered during the postharvest supply chain.

Loss in fresh fruit mainly occurs due to their susceptibility to mechanical damage during the postharvest supply chain. Mechanical damage can reduce the quality of fresh produce during handling, especially if not consumed directly, which is a critical food safety challenge and economic issue. Therefore, food security and agricultural efficiency requires vital action to minimize such losses. Possible mitigation includes reducing the occurrence of damage by investigating the effects of the application of external forces during the handling of fresh fruit. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the local banana quality changes affected by impact energy and forces resulting from simulated handling practices during storage at three different temperature conditions for 12 days. By using the pendulum technique, local banana fruit were damaged by low (0.074 ± 0.003 J), medium (0.160 ± 0.008 J), and high (0.27 ± 0.016 J) impact forces. Fruit from each impact energy level were divided into groups and stored at 5 °C, 13 °C, and 22 °C. The changes in weight loss, firmness, and color (lightness (L*) and redness (a*)) were evaluated. The rate of transpiration was also determined. The study results showed a gradual reduction in weight loss percent in high, medium, and low impact bruised bananas under all storage conditions. The highest recorded weight loss percent was found in high impact (0.27 ± 0.016 J) injured banana fruit (19.55%) stored at 22 °C after 12 days of storage. Storage at 22 °C and damage from the highest impact energy accelerated the increment of the transpiration rate (2.031 mg kg⁻¹ s⁻¹) of banana fruit on day 12 of storage. Furthermore, high impact bruising and storage at ambient temperature condition resulted in 76.69% firmness reduction in banana fruit after 12 days of storage. Storage at 13 °C showed the fewest changes in visual properties, such as color, of impacted bananas. The color parameters (lightness and redness) were statistically influenced (p < 0.05) by impact level, storage temperatures, and storage duration. Chilling injuries were highly observed after day 4 of storage in banana fruit stored at 5 °C in all damaged fruit. Two of the most critical factors that reduced the incidence of severe damage due to mechanical damage were: (1) storage management, and (2) increasing people’s awareness about the main mechanism of this problem and how to reduce it.