Application and Simplification of Cell-Based Equivalent Circuit Model Analysis of Electrical Impedance for Assessment of Drop Shock Bruising in Japanese Pear Tissues

Abstract

This study was conducted with the objective of applying cell-based electrical equivalent circuit analysis for the assessment of bruising of tissues in Japanese pears after drop tests, as well as to simplify the analysis. The equivalent circuit analysis of electrical impedance values was conducted on the bruised regions of the pear tissues. The analysis showed that the resistance of the protoplasm of the injured tissues slightly increases, and the capacitance of cell membranes and the resistance of apoplastic fluids significantly decrease. Thus, it was theorized that these parameters are influenced by cell membrane destruction. Further, it was found that Cole-Cole plot parameter obtained from the frequency characteristics of the impedance of the tissues can express changes in the apoplastic fluid resistance. These results show that equivalent circuit analysis can be used to assess bruising of pear cells caused by drop shock, and the analysis can be simplified using Cole-Cole plots. We expect these results to aid in the development of physical damage assessment methods for distributed fruits.