Abstract: In order to provide references for mechanical damage of Citrus reticulata Blanco, the changes of mechanical properties of Citrus reticulata Blanco during storage were studied. The short-term storage of the variety was carried out. The compression tests were carried out regularly. The quality, hardness, modulus of elasticity, rupture limit and total deformation damage energy of the citrus fruit during storage were determined. The results showed that with the prolongation of storage time, the quality loss of citrus fruits increased gradually; the hardness decreased, but there was no significant difference between storage for 7 days and storage for 10 days; the elastic modulus, rupture limit and total deformation damage energy increased at first and then decreased, and reached the maximum value at 7 days of storage. There was no significant difference between storage for 1 day and storage for 4 days, and there was significant difference between storage for 10 days and storage for 1 day. At the same time, the correlation analysis of various mechanical indexes showed that storage time was highly positively correlated with mass loss, negatively correlated with fruit hardness and modulus of elasticity, but not with rupture limit and total deformation damage energy.

Key words: mechanical damage, Citrus reticulata, short-term storage, mechanical properties, correlation analysis