The efficacy of using IR radiation heating for peach peel removal was investigated under different IR heating conditions for clingstone peaches in three size categories. Comparing with regular wet-lye peeling, the IR peeling method shows promising results to achieve high peelability (>80 mm2/100 mm2) and peeling yields (>90 g/100 g) with ensured color and texture characteristics of peeled products. Micro-structural changes induced by IR radiation in peach tissues adjacent to skins were observed as thermal expansion of cell wall and collapses of several cellular layers, indicating a mechanistic difference between IR peeling and wet-lye
peeling. Temperature profiles at various peach locations demonstrated a dramatic temperature increase at peach surface and relatively low temperatures in peach interior during IR heating. By
decreasing IR emitter gap in the tested range from 140 mm to 90 mm, significant improvement of peelability and peeling yields were achievable based on the current configuration of double-sided
heating using flat panel catalytic IR emitters. Future improvement on the peeling performance and quality can be accomplished through rotating peach during IR heating and modifying the current
IR emitter configuration, especially the profile of the emitter curvature, to ensure rapid and uniform IR heating at peach surface. There is still a crucial need to improve the current heating configuration and emitter intensity so as to increase IR heating rate and uniformity and to achieve an industrially acceptable throughput.