Measurement of Tomato Fruit Firmness

(...)Firmness, as measured by each of the three methods, progressively decreased with ripening. previously chilled tomatoes were initially softer than nonchilled tomatoes, as measured by puncture of whole fruit and constant area compression of pericarp tissue sections, but not by flat-plate compression of whole fruit. Flat-plate compression was therefore found to be a relatively insensitive method by which to measure differences in tomato firmness that are characteristic of slightly chilling-injured fruit