Pea Tenderometers and their Calibration

Over the years, the maturity of peas has been expressed in tenderometer units. This unit was born in 1937 with the creation of the Martin pea tenderometer, the instrument that was later generally established in Europe. As time goes on, even robust instruments have to be replaced. Signs from growers and processors indicate that this will be necessary in the near future for many Martin tenderometers. Some users may, with good reasons, adhere to a modernized version of the old tenderometer while others may, for equally good reasons, prefer the Food Technology Corporation tenderometer that has meanwhile emerged. Both groups will have to face the problem of standardization and mutual comparability in their commercial transactions. From the examination of 25 years of calibration work in the Netherlands, it is shown that, from a mechanical point of view, there appears to be no reason to prefer one system to the other. Standardization reasons and instrumentation unity within a country, or even within the European community, might be a better criterion.