Gloss properties and surface morphology relationships of fruits

Eggplants exhibited a higher average gloss reading (15.3 Gloss Units (GU)) than mature green tomatoes (12.0 GU) and apples (8.2 GU) using a flat surface glossmeter. The same trend was observed using a novel curved surface glossmeter. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that epicuticular wax covering eggplants had a smoother structure than that of tomatoes and apples; providing a more effective light scattering surface. Wax removal resulted in decreases in gloss, with average readings of 9.5, 7.4 and 6.3 GU for eggplants, tomatoes and apples, respectively. These results indicate the extent to which wax may influence shininess, although roughness measurements of flattened peel after wax removal suggest that surface topography also influences gloss.