Detalhes do Documento

The objective of this work was to develop a biometric record for application to hazelnuts in order to complement their morphological and physical characterisation as well as evaluate differences between varieties. The development of a standard biometric record was done, with several parameters for the whole fruit (nut) and the core (kernel) such as width, height and thickness. Based on these measurements, the shape ratio, the compression ratio and the volume were calculated. The width and height of the hilum and the ratio between them were also determined. It was further registered the number of hollow fruits and the calibre of each sample. The record was applied to 50 fruits, in two varieties (Grada de Viseu and Longa de Espanha), from the same orchard located in Penela da Beira region, Portugal. The fruits presented significant differences in height, mainly for the fruits with shell, with Longa de Espanha presenting the highest value. The shape and compression ratios were also very different, with Grada de Viseu presenting the highest scores for fruits with shell (0.99 ±0.06 and 0.94±0.18) and for the core (1.22±0.04 and 1.15±0.19). From the application of the biometric record it was possible to determine the nut and the core weight, and for these varieties the weight of the nut was approximately double of that of the kernel. The proposed biometric record holds the potential to be applied in quality control processes. These results could be useful in hazelnut varieties’ evaluation and choice for growers, breeders, and food industry.