Fruit Pulp and Skin Dielectric Properties for 150 MHz to 6400 MHz

Abstract

Dielectric properties of skin and pulp of selected fruits were measured using an open-ended coaxial probe technique. Measurements were made on apple, banana, orange, peach, and tangelo for 150 MHz (0 6400 MHz. Pulps had dielectric constants between 45 and 80 and loss factors between 5 and 50, each variable having a respective frequency dependence typical of materials with high water content. Apple, orange, peach, and tangelo skins had dielectric constants between 5 and 45 and loss factors between 0 and 30; banana skin, between 30 and 100 and between 10 and 100, respectively. For each fruit, skin dielectric properties were different than pulp dielectric properties. Differences among the dielectric properties can be largely attributed to differences in water content.