DAMAGE LOSS COST CURVES FOR PEACH IMPACT BRUISING

For the design of protective packaging for the distribution of fresh m arker peaches, it is important to determine the damage loss cost curve . This curve combines data on the frequency of drops in distribution a s a function of drop height with the likelihood of losses occurring fr om damage resulting from impacts from specific drop heights. For fresh market peaches, externally visible bruises are the impact damage prod ucing losses. In this study peaches of six cultivars were dropped onto a steel plate from heights in the range 8-38 cm. They were visually e xamined externally and internally for bruises and for fiber tears. Res ults were combined with data from a previous study covering the overla pping range of 31-91 cm, and used to calculate the damage loss cost cu rves for Redhaven peaches and for the composite, of the six cultivars. The curves predict worst case losses in the 95% range for packages de signed to protect against drops of 16 cm or less. Worst case losses de crease steadily with package designs ranging up to 46 cm where losses are in the 10-20% range.