Investigation of the availability of image processing as an alternative method to spectrophotometry for prediction of HMF content in honey for different temperatures

Abstract

This study aims to determine the hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content in the honey samples which are processed at different temperatures by using a spectrophotometric method and to investigate the suitability of image processing method as an alternative method to spectrophotometry. Honey samples were subjected to conventional heating by using a conventional oven at 75°C, 100°C, 125°C and 150°C for 20 min. The HMF content of the samples were determined by using spectrophotometric method and the images of heated honey samples in tubes were captured by a professional camera simultaneously to compare results obtained from spectrophotometry and image processing. The results showed a correlation (y = 18.54x–1.224, R2 = 0.987) between the data obtained by image processing and spectrophotometric analysis. Thus, it was concluded that, image processing can be used as an alternative method for determining the amount of HMF content in honey for different temperatures. Practical applications With the development of image processing technologies, there is a great potential for food safety and food preservation. This study will bring about improvement in the field of food quality and preservation analysis for food manufacturers. Moreover, this application can be used in food industry for a quick quality determination for mass production.