Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #148721
Title: X-RAY ASSESSMENT OF TRANSLUCENCY IN PINEAPPLE

Author
item Haff, Ronald - Ron
item SLAUGHTER, DAVID - UC DAVIS, CA
item KADER, ADEL - UC DAVIS, CA

Submitted to: Journal of Food Processing and Preservation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/13/2006
Publication Date: 6/12/2006
Citation: Haff, R.P., Slaughter, D.C., Kader, A. 2006. X-ray Assessment of Translucency in Pineapple. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. 30:527-533

Interpretive Summary: Fifty-one pineapples were x-rayed to determine whether a defect called translucency could be detected. After being x-rayed, each pineapple was cut open to determine the true level of the defect and rated on a scale from one (no translucency) to five (most translucency). The x-ray films were inspected by human subjects who rated them as either good or bad based on the appearance of translucent and non-translucent pineapples in training images. The results show a high correlation between the likelihood of a sample being rated as good and the actual condition of the fruit. Samples with no translucency were correctly identified 93% of the time, while those with extreme translucency were correctly identified 80% of the time. The results indicate that x-ray imaging is a useful method for selecting pineapples that are most likely to be free of translucency as well as those most likely to be extremely translucent.

Technical Abstract: Fifty-one pineapples were imaged with x-ray to determine whether a physiological disorder called translucency could be detected. After imaging, each pineapple was cut open to determine the true level of the disorder and rated on a scale from one (no translucency) to five (most translucency). The x-ray images were inspected by human subjects who evaluated them as either good or bad based on the appearance of translucent and non-translucent pineapples in training images. The results show a high correlation (R2 = 0.97) between the likelihood of a sample being rated as good and the actual condition of the fruit. Samples with no translucency were correctly identified 93% of the time, while those with extreme translucency were correctly identified 80% of the time. The results indicate that x-ray imaging is a useful method for selecting either pineapples that are most likely to be free of translucency or those that are most likely to be extremely translucent.