Abstract
Material perception studies focus on the analysis of visual cues that may underlie the ability to distinguish between the different properties of an object. Herein, we investigated the effects of luminance distribution on the perceived freshness of a strawberry independent from its colour information. We took photographs of the degradation of a strawberry over 169 hours in a controlled environment, then presented cropped square patches of the original images to subjects who then rated the perceived freshness using a visual analogue scale. Freshness ratings were significantly highly correlated with statistical measures of the luminance and colour channels. To clarify which of these visual cues affects freshness perception, we created artificial images by modifying only the luminance distribution and keeping the colour information unchanged. The modification of luminance resulted in a highly correlated change in freshness perception, suggesting that luminance visual cues are essential to the freshness perception of strawberries. Finally, by eliminating the colour information from the images, we examined the contribution of luminance distribution independent of colour information and found that luminance information suffices for accurate estimation of strawberry freshness.
Highlights
When we make quality discrimination decisions in daily life, we rely considerably on visual cues
For the strawberry’s visual texture, the manipulation of luminance statistics resulted in a significantly highly correlated manipulation of the freshness perception (Table 5). This manipulation was independent of colour distribution (Table 3) and can be regarded as the effect of luminance distribution on the perception of strawberry freshness
We adopted a statistical approach to this problem and verified the relevance of luminance distribution on the perceived quality of a natural texture
Summary
When we make quality discrimination decisions in daily life, we rely considerably on visual cues. When estimating the quality of food products in a market, visual information contributes to the consumer’s choice. A study on the sensory attributes influencing consumer perception of the freshness of strawberries and carrots (Peneau et al 2007) reported that subjective visual parameters such as bruises and shininess were the best predictors of such perception. The optical and physical properties that serve as cues to shininess (or glossiness) perception are only beginning to be understood. The perception of surface reflectance is not a trivial ability, as it depends on properties of the light field (Fleming et al 2003; Doerschner et al 2010; Olkkonen and Brainard 2010) and of the stimulus presentation (Wendt et al 2010). Glossiness perception involves a complex and intricate analysis of spatial consistency between the specular highlights and surface geometry of an image (Kim and Anderson 2010)
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