Abstract
Technology for rapid, non-invasive and accurate determination of fruit maturity is increasingly sought after in horticultural industries. This study investigated the ability to predict fruit maturity of yellow peach cultivars using a prototype non-destructive fluorescence spectrometer. Collected spectra were analysed to predict flesh firmness (FF), soluble solids concentration (SSC), index of absorbance difference (IAD), skin and flesh colour attributes (i.e., a* and H°) and maturity classes (immature, harvest-ready and mature) in four yellow peach cultivars—‘August Flame’, ‘O’Henry’, ‘Redhaven’ and ‘September Sun’. The cultivars provided a diverse range of maturity indices. The fluorescence spectrometer consistently predicted IAD and skin colour in all the cultivars under study with high accuracy (Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient > 0.85), whereas flesh colour’s estimation was always accurate apart from ‘Redhaven’. Except for ‘September Sun’, good prediction of FF and SSC was observed. Fruit maturity classes were reliably predicted with a high likelihood (F1-score = 0.85) when samples from the four cultivars were pooled together. Further studies are needed to assess the performance of the fluorescence spectrometer on other fruit crops. Work is underway to develop a handheld version of the fluorescence spectrometer to improve the utility and adoption by fruit growers, packhouses and supply chain managers.
Highlights
Fruit maturity indices are used to inform harvest logistics and supply chain management decisions for the delivery of fruit with optimal quality to consumers
Soluble solids concentration (SSC), flesh firmness (FF), starch concentration, titratable acidity, skin and flesh colour, fruit size and shape, ethylene production and respiration rate are useful indices used for stone and pome fruit maturity assessment [1,2]
The handheld, non-destructive Delta Absorbance (DA)meter was introduced by Ziosi et al in 2008 [7] to determine the index of absorbance difference between 670 and 720 nm (IAD ) and has often been used for maturity
Summary
Fruit maturity indices are used to inform harvest logistics and supply chain management decisions for the delivery of fruit with optimal quality to consumers. Soluble solids concentration (SSC), flesh firmness (FF), starch concentration, titratable acidity, skin and flesh colour, fruit size and shape, ethylene production and respiration rate are useful indices used for stone and pome fruit maturity assessment [1,2]. The introduction of spectrometers has led to the increasing adoption of non-destructive devices for food quality estimation (e.g., near-infrared, fluorescence meters, mid-infrared and multispectral/hyperspectral imagery) [3,4,5,6]. The handheld, non-destructive Delta Absorbance (DA)meter was introduced by Ziosi et al in 2008 [7] to determine the index of absorbance difference between 670 and 720 nm (IAD ) and has often been used for maturity
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