Technical Notes: Damage to the Surface of Potatoes From Collision

The effect of dropping height and impact material on the surface damage of potatoes (Solanum Tuberosum) was experimentally investigated. From the results it is recommended that metal bars impacting potatoes be coated with rubber in order to reduce surface damage of those potatoes. In addition to usual exposure damage of potatoes, large amounts of arc-shaped damage were observed during shipping resulting in serious problems during marketing. The source of this arc-shaped damage was investigated. Experimental investigations indicated that for an impact plane a surface orientation of less than 30° to the direction of potato movement would alleviate arc-shaped damage.