Non-Destructive Assessment of Quality Attributes in Iranian Freestone Tabrizi Peaches Using Ultrasonic Velocity and Attenuation

Rasool Khodabakhshian

doi:10.53941/fsp.2026.100015

Abstract

Non-destructive assessment of peach maturity is important for reducing destructive sampling and improving consistency in postharvest handling. This study evaluated through-transmission ultrasonic velocity and apparent attenuation as non-destructive indicators of ripeness and internal quality in Iranian Freestone Tabrizi peaches. Sixty fruit were classified into ripe and unripe groups and further divided into large and small size classes. Ultrasonic velocity and apparent attenuation were measured at 20 °C and related to firmness, dry weight (DW), pH, titratable acidity, sugar content and soluble solids content (SSC). Ripening was associated with lower ultrasonic velocity and higher apparent attenuation, together with lower firmness and higher SSC and DW. The second-order regression models showed coefficients of determination (R²) of 0.88–0.98 for attenuation versus DW, 0.91–0.98 for velocity versus DW, 0.84–0.98 for attenuation versus SSC, and 0.88–0.98 for velocity versus SSC, corresponding to 88–98%, 91–98%, 84–98%, and 88–98% explained variance, respectively. Because raw point-level observations and independent validation data were not available for the present analysis, these percentages represent within-sample goodness of fit rather than externally validated prediction accuracy. The results therefore support the feasibility of ultrasonic velocity and attenuation as non-destructive indicators of peach internal quality, while larger datasets and independent validation are needed before practical deployment.

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