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Title: TECHNIQUES FOR IMAGING THE WHOLE SURFACE OF FRUITS

Author
item Lefcourt, Alan
item Kim, Moon
item NARAYANAN, PRIYA - UNIV OF MD, BALTIMORE CO
item REESE, DANIEL - UNIV OF MD, COLLEGE PARK
item TASCH, URI - UNIV OF MD, BALTIMORE CO.
item LO, MARTIN - UNIV OF MD, COLLEGE PARK
item ROSTAMIAN, ROUBEN - UNIV OF MD, BALTIMORE CO.

Submitted to: International Fresh Cut Produce Association Annual Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2007
Publication Date: 4/25/2007
Citation: Lefcourt, A.M., Kim, M.S., Narayanan, P., Reese, D.Y., Tasch, U., Lo, M., Rostamian, R. 2007. Techniques for imaging the whole surface of fruits [abstract]. International Fresh Cut Produce Association Annual Conference, Palms Springs, CA, April 25-27, 2008.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Improving the quality and safety of food consumed by the public is the principle objective of the Instrumentation and Sensing Laboratory. Current efforts include the development of a commercially-viable system that simultaneously screens individual apples for quality and fecal contamination using multispectral imaging. To fully screen individual apples requires that 100% of an apples surface be imaged. The concave nature and visual complexity of the stem and calyx regions complicates this process. The lab is working on a simple method for controlling the orientation of apples during processing so that images can be acquired with the stem and calyx in known positions. We discovered that apples can be oriented using their inertial properties. Apples were rolled down a test track consisting of two parallel wooden rails. When the apples achieved sufficient angular velocity, they generally jump to an “oriented” position where the stem/calyx axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel and parallel to the plane of the rails. Another effort involves the use of mirrors to acquire whole-surface information using a single camera. The acute angles of reflection at the edges a three-dimensional surface can present a problem for imaging. Preliminary results suggest that using three mirrors instead of two can alleviate this problem. Combining inertia-based orientation with an imaging system consisting of a single camera and three mirrors may allow development of a cost-effective method for whole surface imaging of apples and similiar fruit.