Kiwifruit compression occurs throughout postharvest handling, including picking, packing, transport and storage. Kiwifruit deforms differently under compression depending on its firmness, with tissue‐specific behaviours. The outer pericarp flesh is the most vulnerable to damage; simultaneously, its deformation depends on not only the mechanical properties of this tissue but also the state of the inner pericarp and columella. Finite element modelling can be effectively used to simulate and predict stress distribution during compression, identifying damage‐prone scenarios. Here, we present a finite element analysis of the inner pericarp influence on the whole fruit's stress distribution under compression and tissue‐specific deformation. Further, we focus on how tissues geometries influence inner pericarp deformation and outer pericarp strain—key parameters in damage due to compression. Generally, the bigger core increases outer pericarp strain, while a larger inner pericarp leads to greater inner pericarp deformation. Detailed analysis demonstrates that when kiwifruit is compressed (∼3 mm), inner pericarp deformation has the highest correlation with outer pericarp thickness. Additionally, outer pericarp strain has the highest correlation with a ratio of inner to outer pericarp thickness. This analysis enhances understanding of kiwifruit compression resistance and provides a framework to inform future efforts to improve mechanical resilience across cultivars.
Urbańska et al. (Sun,) studied this question.