COMPARISON OF A COLORIMETER WITH A MACHINE VISION SYSTEM IN MEASURING COLOR OF GULF OF MEXICO STURGEON FILLETS

Abstract

A machine vision system and Minolta CR-200 colorimeter were compared in their abilities to measure changesof color over 15 days of iced-storage of Gulf sturgeon fillets. Gulf sturgeons were fed three different commercial diets, andthe impact of these diets in the color of the dressed fillets was measured. The L*a*b* values were measured at days 0, 5, 10,and 15 using both instruments, and Delta E values calculated to allow comparison of results. Statistical analysis indicatedthat there were no significant differences in Delta E values from Minolta CR-200 or machine vision between either treatmentsor days (p > 0.05). Delta E values were significantly different (p < 0.05) between instruments, except for day 0. The largedifferences in Delta E for the CR-200 between day 0 and day 1 do not reflect the mild color changes over time visually observedfrom pictures. We conclude that machine vision has the ability to measures color with high spatial resolution, thus it canoutperform other colorimeters when recording and estimating subtle color changes in foods.