• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.415-424
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• 2023

The task of sorting and excluding blemished apples and others that lack commercial appeal is currently performed manually by human eye sorting, which not only causes musculoskeletal disorders in workers but also requires a significant amount of time and labor. In this study, an automated apple-sorting machine was developed to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in apple production workers and to streamline the process of sorting blemished and non-marketable apples from the better quality fruit. The apple-sorting machine is composed of an arm-rest, a main body, and a height-adjustable part, and uses object detection through a machine learning technology called 'You Only Look Once (YOLO)' to sort the apples. The machine was initially trained using apple image data, RoboFlow, and Google Colab, and the resulting images were analyzed using Jetson Nano. An algorithm was developed to link the Jetson Nano outputs and the conveyor belt to classify the analyzed apple images. This apple-sorting machine can immediately sort and exclude apples with surface defects, thereby reducing the time needed to sort the fruit and, accordingly, achieving cuts in labor costs. Furthermore, the apple-sorting machine can produce uniform quality sorting with a high level of accuracy compared with the subjective judgment of manual sorting by eye. This is expected to improve the productivity of apple growing operations and increase profitability.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.67-71
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• 2015

Shock and vibration inputs are transmitted from the transporting vehicle through the packaging to the fruit during the parcel delivery service. The vibration causes sustained bouncing of fruits against each other and the container wall. The steady state vibration input may cause serous fruit injury, and the damage is particularly severe if the fruits are bounced at its resonance frequency. The determination of the resonance frequencies of the fruits and vegetables may help the packaging designer to determine the proper packaging system providing adequate protection for the fruits, and to understand the complex interaction between the components of the fruits when they relate to expected transportation vibration inputs. To analyze the vibration properties of the apples for optimum packaging design during transportation for parcel delivery service, random vibration tests were carried out. In the random vibration test, the resonance frequency and PSD of the apples in packaging system for parcel delivery service in the test were in the range of 13 to 99 Hz and $0.0143{\sim}0.0923G^2/Hz$.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2012

Purpose: This study performed the oscillatory test using the texture analyzer to characterize the viscoelastic behavior of apples such as the storage modulus (E'), the loss modulus (E"), the complex modulus (${\mid}E^*{\mid}$) and the energy dissipated per cycle ($W_{diss}$). Methods: The sinusoidal deformation with the frequency of 1-10 Hz and the maximum displacement of 0.1 mm were applied to the flesh tissues of Fuji, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious apples. The Lissajous figure was used to measure the phase angle(${\delta}$) between stress and strain curve. Results: Trigger force was critical to the measurement of the phase angle. E', E", ${\mid}E^*{\mid}$ and Wdiss were measured using the Lissajous figure and the phase angle. The complex modulus of Golden Delicious apple was significantly lower than those of Fuji apple and Red Delicious apple. Conclusions: Apple flesh was exhibiting more elasticity at low frequency, and more viscosity at high frequency. Dynamic compressive properties of Fuji apple were similar to those of Red Delicious apple but significantly different from those of Golden Delicious apple.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.283-288
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• 1993

The solvent extraction and clean up processes for the gas chromatographic determination of muarimol pesticide residues in apples were investigated and examined the changes of residual concentration with the passage of time. The extracted pesticide with methanol were partitioned with dichloromethane after adding sodium chloride solution. The separated solutions were concentrated and transfered to the alumina column for clean up, and eluated with 1-chlorobutane : methanol solution. As a results their recovering for 0.200 and 1.00ppm muarimol spiked on apples have shown 79~95%. Residual amounts of nuarimol in apple was 0.0830ppm when the fungicide was treated eight times until 3 days before its harvest. It seems to be safely used when nuarimol is treated six times until 7 days before harvest of apple.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.218-225
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• 2003

An analytical study was conducted in 2002 to observe the relationship between meteorological elements and the fruit quality of 'Tsugaru' apples at 8 orchards. The higher average air temperature in August made a higher content of soluble solids, but showed a lower anthocyanin content. As the average air temperature from April through August increased, flesh firmness decreased; and as the maximum air temperature from April through August increased, Hunter a value also decreased. Additionally, it was observed that the cytohistological characteristics of 'Tsugaru' apples were correlated with the average air temperature during the growing season. As average air temperature during the growing season increased, the epidermal layer of the fruit skin became thinner, starch density in the flesh decreased, intercellular space was larger, and tissue structure became looser.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2009

Hyperspectral reflectance and fluorescence scattering have been researched recently for measuring fruit post-harvest quality and condition. And they are promising for nondestructive detection of fruit quality. The objective of this research was to develop a model, which measure the quality of apple by using hyperspectral reflectance and fluorescence. A violet laser (408 nm) and a quartz tungsten halogen light were used as light sources for generating laser induced fluorescence and reflectance scattering in apples, respectively. The laser induced fluorescence and reflectance of 'Golden Delicious' apples were measured by using a hyperspectral imaging system. Fruit firmness, soluble solids and acid content were measured using standard destructive methods. Principal component analyses were performed to extract critical information from both hyperspectral reflectance and fluorescence data and this information was then related to fruit quality indexes. The fluorescence models had poorer predictions of the three quality indexes than the reflectance models. However, the prediction models of integrating fluorescence and reflectance performed consistently better than the individual models of either reflectance or fluorescence. The correlation coefficient for fruit firmness, soluble solid content, and tillable acidity from the integrated model was 0.86, 0.75, and 0.66 respectively. Also the standard errors were 6.97 N, 1.05%, and 0.07% respectively.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.561-570
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• 1998

The MLR(Multiple Linear Regression) models to estimate soluble solids content non-destructively were presented to make a selection of optimal photosensor utilized to measure the soluble solids content of apples. Visible and NIR absorbance in the 400 to 2498 nanometer(nm) wavelength region, soluble solids content(sugar content), hardness, and weight were measured for 400 apples(gala). Spectrophotometer with fiber optic probe was utilized for spectrum measurement and digital refractometer was used for soluble solids content. Correlation between absorbance spectrum and soluble solids content was analyzed to pick out the optimal wavelengths and to develop corresponding prediction model by means of MLR. For the coefficient of determination($R^2$) to be over 0.92, the MLR models out of the original absorbance were built based on 7 wavelengths of 992, 904, 1096, 1032, 880, 824, 1048nm, and the ones of the second derivative absorbance based on 5 wavelengths of 784, 1056, 992, 808, 872nm. The best model of the second derivative absorbance spectrum had $R^2$=0.91, bias= -0.02bx, SEP=0.28bx for unknown samples.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.124-131
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• 2010

Chlorophyll fluorescence has been researched for assessing fruit post-harvest quality and condition. The objective of this preliminary research was to investigate the potential of fluorescence spectroscopy for measuring apple fruit quality. Ultraviolet (UV) and blue light was used as an excitation source for inducing fluorescence in apples. Fluorescence spectra were measured from 'Golden Delicious' (GD) and 'Red Delicious' (RD) apples using a visible/near-infrared spectrometer after one, three, and five minutes of continuous UV/blue light illumination. Standard destructive tests were performed to measure fruit firmness, skin and flesh color, soluble solids and acid content from the apples. Calibration models for each of the three illumination time periods were developed to predict fruit quality indexes. The results showed that fluorescence emission decreased steadily during the first three minutes of UV/blue light illumination and was stable within five minutes. The differences were minimal in the model prediction results based on fluorescence data at one, three or five minutes of illumination. Overall, better predictions were obtained for apple skin chroma and hue and flesh hue with values for the correlation coefficient of validation between 0.80 and 0.90 for both GD and RD. Relatively poor predictions were obtained for fruit firmness, soluble solids content, titrational acid, and flesh chroma. This research has demonstrated that fluorescence spectroscopy is potentially useful for assessing selected quality attributes of apple fruit and further research is needed to improve fluorescence measurements so that better predictions of fruit quality can be achieved.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.204-213
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• 2005

This study was focused on the analysis of questionnaire that surveyed the uses, preference and recognition on apple. The subjects of this study consisted of 452 female(married 238, unmarried 214) in Daegu area. Among those respondents, 49.1% answered that they ate apple after dinner. Respondents preferred as purchase place fruits store(34.5%), traditional market(22.6%), and big discount store(21.7%), in order. Taste(46.0%) was the most important as purchase criterion. 49.1% of respondents preferred small amount below 2-3kg every one purchase. In preference survey on apples, 80.5% of total subjects responded 'like' or 'very like', and 73.6% of those subjects who favorably responded liked the 'taste' of apples. The preference survey study on apple foods revealed that respondents preferred the most apple juice(M=3.47), fellowed by apple jam(M=3.35) and apple vinegar(M=3.21). On the other hand, apple bab(M=2.29) and apple jook(M=2.23) had the most low preference score. The recognition survey study on apple revealed that respondents knew relatively well the followings: apple is natural food(M=4.25), apple is good for body and apple is good for beauty(M=4.20). Respondents required apple to be fresher(41.0%) and taster(37.4%). 89.4% of respondents expected that consumption of apples would be increased or maintain at the present level.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.210-216
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• 1997

A study to select ground colors of Fuji apple for maturity index which are needed to standardize grading of the apples is presented. Two extreme colors of immature and fully mature Fuji and Zonagold apples produced in Korea were determined. Various ground colors of Fuji apple between the two extreme colors were collected and classified by human vision and colors of Fuji apple for maturity index were selected from the classification. Coordinates of the selected colors in xy chromaticity diagram were determined by spectrophotometers to define them in a standard coordinate system. Coordinates of the colors in r-g chromaticity diagram using a color machine vision system were also determined to use the colors in apple grading by the machine vision system. Grading Fuji apples using the machine vision system was performed and result of the grading was compared with Ending results of human vision and colorimeter. The comparison was performed with the same Fuji apple samples and showed 65% md 75% of same grades, respectively, as the grades determined by the machine vision system. Differences of fading performance between the compared three grading methods were explained as mainly because of the differences of observation area of the grading methods.