Classificação das Cortiças para a Produção de Rolha, Recorrendo a um Critério Objectivo: Parte II - Os Provetes (Os Quadros)

This work intends to contribute towards better knowledge of qualitative cork qualification, through the creation of an objective classification criterion that can be reproducible, independent of the operator, and therefore be as accurate and reliable as possible. A comparison of the qualitative classification according to the punctuation criterion, applied to the cork samples of the 9 sample trees together with those generated by the criterion resulting from the data of the physical and chemical characteristics, were performed on the same cork samples striped from the same sampled trees. The results of this work emphasized that: • The objective classification based in physical and mechanical parameters assures the reproduction of the results, which does not happen with the punctuation criterion. • It was not verified that there is any relationship between the stripping positions and the quality of cork samples used. • The introduction of a chemical indicator – tenor of suberine – in the analyses of data of cork strips had not improved the segregation among the different cork qualities