An assessment of the mechanical properties was employed as the principal yardstick to quantify the physi-
cal attributes of oil palm fruitlet components before and after being subjected to thermal treatment process.
Two industrial-scale thermal treatment methods were considered; horizontal sterilisation (being the most
common) and vertical sterilisation (recently implemented). The exocarp and mesocarp layers of thermally-
treated fruitlets, as attested by texture profile analysis, compression test, and tensile test, have a significantly
low value of fracturability, hardness, firmness, and strength as opposed to untreated fruitlets. Micrographs
of the mesocarp slices have provided plausible explanation for the observed decline in the mechanical prop-
erties of the sterilised fruitlets. The oil which was initially contained within the fruitlets tends to leach out
during the sterilisation process due to the resulting structural disintegration within the layers of the fruitlets.
On another related enquiry, the required cracking force to break palm nuts in order to extract the kernel was
found to be influenced by the moisture content.