Affiliation(s)
1. Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-000, Brazil
2. Department of Plant Science, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-000, Brazil
3. Agricultural Sciences Institute, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais 39404-547, Brazil
4. College of Agricultural Engineering, The State University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo 13083-875, Brazil
ABSTRACT
The demands for high
quality products are increasing in the market, so several tests are performed.
These analyses are destructive, time consuming and sometimes expensive. The
spectral imaging technique is an alternative that can reduce costs and time and
increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of these analyses. In this
context, the aim of this study was to verify the spectral behavior of the
tomato in function of the maturation and its potential use for non-destructive
evaluation of food quality. Eighty tomatoes of the Italian group were selected
in four stages of maturation (green, pink, light red and red). Images were
collected in wavelengths 480 nm to 710 nm (every 10 nm). After the images were collected, the fruits were
submitted to the physical-chemical analyses. The following parameters
were analyzed: color, color index
(CI), pH, soluble solids
(SS), total titratable acidity
(TTA) and ratio
(SS/TTA). After characterization the mean spectrum was
obtained by the extraction of the spectral characteristics. It was observed
that the spectral behavior was the same for all stages of maturation. It was
possible to differentiate the green tomatoes in the wavelengths from 520 nm to 560 nm and from
610 nm to 660 nm. These intervals
represent the area of reflection of chlorophyll and lycopene, respectively.
Near the wavelength 560 nm, the highest absorbance was recorded by ripe tomatoes
due to the concentration of lycopene. It is concluded that the best wavelengths
for analysis are those in which green has the highest reflectance and it is
possible to apply this technique for non-destructive analysis of the maturation
of tomatoes.
KEYWORDS
Non-destructive analysis, mean spectrum, physical-chemical
analysis, Solanum lycopersicum.
Cite this paper
References
XML 1442 Views