Effects of brushing in a classifying machine on the cuticles of Fuji and Gala apples

The cuticle, a layer that covers the fruit epidermis, has a protective function against environmental stresses such as wind, temperature, chemicals and drought, not only when the fruit is attached to the plant, but also after harvest. Some postharvest procedures may influence the external layers of the fruit, like the cuticle. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of brushing in a classifying machine on the cuticles of apples under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two experiments were conducted to test brushing on the cultivars Fuji and Gala using heavy and smooth brushes. The experiments consisted of three replicates of three apples each, with three samples taken from the equatorial area of the fruit to be analyzed under SEM. The brushes of the classifying machine altered the cuticular layer, dragging it, modifying the structure and removing crystalloids of the cuticular wax layer, and forming cracks. There were no differences between the effects of the two types of brushes tested on the cuticles of the apples. The classifying machine used commercially is capable of producing similar effects to those encountered in the brushing experiments conducted on the prototype in the laboratory, removing partially the protective wax content of the apple’s cuticle.