A NONDESTRUCTIVE NIR SPECTROMETER : DEVELOPMENT OF A PORTABLE FRUIT QUALITY METER

The quality of agricultural products is very important factor for consumers. In Japan, quality is sometimes more important than cost. Usually, the quality of fresh food products is determined in terms of shape, color, size, etc. However, these indices are not always associated with taste, leaving consumers to complain. Recently, two types of the fruit quality meter (a tabletop type - K-FS200 and a portable type - K-BA100, Kubota Corp.) using NIR technology were introduced in Japan. A tabletop instrument is for post harvest use and a portable one is for precision agriculture use. The both meters use the NIR region from 600nm to 1000nm in the interactance mode to determine quality factors related to taste. The instruments can measure sugar content and acidity of such fruit as apples, tomatoes, tangerines and other fruits. The measurement is timely, nondestructive and precise. For example, the coefficient of variation (CV) is less than 6% for sugar in most fruits. The K-FS200 has been evaluated in supermarkets, grading facilities, and wholesalers in Japan. The introduction of the K-FS200) has drawn attention to taste quality and its use is becoming more popular. In addition, researchers or farmers are becoming interested in measuring product ingredient not only after harvest but also during growing in the field so that they can make intelligent judgements concerning soil amendments, such as fertilizers and water, employs the fiber probe for flexible measurement and is battery powered for field use. Design of the fruit quality meters will be discussed. Applications to fruit quality will be presented.