Fruit biomechanics is needed for quality determination, multiscale modelling and engineering design of fruit processes and equipments. However, these determined fruit biomechanics data often have obvious differences for the same fruit or tissue. In order to investigate it, the fruit biomechanics based on anatomy was reviewed in this paper. First, the anatomical characteristics of fruit biomaterials were described at the macroscopic ‘tissue’ level and microscopic ‘cellular’ level. Subsequently, the factors affecting fruit biomechanics based on anatomy and the relationships between fruit biomechanics, texture and mechanical damage were summarised according to the published literature. Fruit biomechanics is mainly affected by size, number and arrangement of cells, quantity and volume of intracellular spaces, structure, thickness, chemical composition and permeability of cell walls, and pectin degradation level and turgor pressure within cells based on microanatomy. Four test methods and partial determined results of fruit biomechanics were listed and reviewed. The determined mechanical properties data of fruit are only approximate values by using the existing four test methods, owing to the fruit biomaterials being non-homogeneous and living. Lastly, further aspects for research on fruit biomechanics were proposed for the future.

Freezing is a well-established preservation method used to maintain the freshness of perishable food products during storage, transportation and retail distribution; however, food freezing is a complex process involving simultaneous heat and mass transfer and a progression of physical and chemical changes. This could affect the quality of the frozen product and increase the percentage of drip loss (loss in flavor and sensory properties) during thawing. Numerical modeling can be used to monitor and control quality changes during the freezing and thawing processes. This technique provides accurate predictions and visual information that could greatly improve quality control and be used to develop advanced cold storage and transport technologies. Finite element modeling (FEM) has become a widely applied numerical tool in industrial food applications, particularly in freezing and thawing processes. We review the recent studies on applying FEM in the food industry, emphasizing the freezing and thawing processes. Challenges and problems in these two main parts of the food industry are also discussed. To control ice crystallization and avoid cellular structure damage during freezing, including physicochemical and microbiological changes occurring during thawing, both traditional and novel technologies applied to freezing and thawing need to be optimized. Mere experimental designs cannot elucidate the optimum freezing, frozen storage, and thawing conditions. Moreover, these experimental procedures can be expensive and time-consuming. This review demonstrates that the FEM technique helps solve mass and heat transfer equations for any geometry and boundary conditions. This study offers promising insight into the use of FEM for the accurate prediction of key information pertaining to food processes.