Changes in acoustic and mechanical properties of Cabernet sauvignon seeds during ripening

Instrumental mechanical and acoustic variables were determined for the berry seeds of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes harvested at different ripening stages. The main goal of this research was to assess the influence of the developmental changes on the texture properties of the grape seed to provide useful indicators of maturity. Despite the fact that most of the instrumental texture properties were characterized by a large intra-sample variability, the following indices could be considered indicative of maturity: the deformation index, acoustic energy, and average sound pressure. A correlation study between the instrumental mechanical and acoustic variables showed that the Young’s modulus of elasticity proved to have the strongest positive correlation with the acoustic variables.