Values for modulus of deformity of coffee fruit at different maturity stages, named by their coloration as "green", "verdoengo" and "cherry", were determined in this work. The values were obtained for the product compressed along three different directions and submitted to different compression speeds. The speed influenced the value of the fruit modulus. The variation of the value of the fruit modulus with the compression speed was differentiated according to the stage of maturity. The fruit orientation during the compression seems to have very little effect on the deformity modulus of the "green" product, however, for the fruits in the other maturity stages. The compression position was an important parameter. For all compression positions, the modulus values of the "green" fruit were higher than those for "cherry" and "verdoengo" fruits. The modulus values of the "cherry" fruits were always smaller than those for the "verdoengo".
Coffea arabica L; deformity; elasticity
