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Title: MULTISPECTRAL LINE-SCAN IMAGING SYSTEM FOR SIMULTANEOUS FLUORESCENCE AND REFLECTANCE MEASUREMENTS OF APPLES: MULTITASK APPLE INSPECTION SYSTEM

Author
item Kim, Moon
item LEE, KANGJIN - S. KOREA
item Chao, Kuanglin - Kevin Chao
item Lefcourt, Alan
item Jun, Won
item Chan, Diane

Submitted to: Sensing and Instrumentation for Food Quality and Safety
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/28/2008
Publication Date: 6/12/2008
Citation: Kim, M.S., Lee, K., Chao, K., Lefcourt, A.M., Jun, W., Chan, D.E. 2008. Multispectral line-scan imaging system for simultaneous fluorescence and reflectance measurements of apples: multitask apple inspection system. Sensing and Instrumentation for Food Quality and Safety. 2(2):123-129.

Interpretive Summary: We recently developed a line-scan imaging system, capable of simultaneously acquiring a combination of multispectral reflectance and fluorescence from fast moving objects. The system can potentially provide multitask inspections for quality and safety attributes of apples due to its dynamic selectivity in multispectral bands, each with independent spectral bandwidth in fluorescence and reflectance domain. The system, mounted on a commercial apple-sorting machine, was evaluated to determine the image pixel (spatial) resolution for apple imagin at a sorting line speed of 3 to 4 apples per second. The resultant images show that the spatial resolution is comparable to our previous studies and is adequate for image-based online inspection of defects and fecal contamination on apples. This online multitask inspection approach may also provide an economically viable means for other food processing industries to adapt their operations to meet the dynamic inspection and sorting needs. The multitasking apple inspection system and methodologies presented in this investigation are useful to food scientists, engineers, regulatory government agencies (FSIS and FDA), and food processing industries.

Technical Abstract: In this methodology paper, a recently developed line-scan imaging system, capable of simultaneously acquiring a combination of multispectral reflectance and fluorescence from fast moving objects, is presented. The system can potentially provide multitask inspections for quality and safety attributes of apples due to its dynamic selectivity in multispectral bands, each with independent spectral bandwidth in fluorescence and reflectance domain. The system, mounted on a commercial apple-sorting machine, was evaluated to determine the image pixel (spatial) resolution for apple imaging at a sorting line speed of 3 to 4 apples per second. Apples loaded on the sorting machine were spaced approximately 15 cm apart. With these parameters, the resultant images showed approximately 40 horizontal lines per apple (2 mm horizontal pixel resolution). In the transverse, vertical direction, with 1002 pixels available, the resolution of the system can be, depending on the binning, as small as approximately 0.2 mm. The combined spatial resolution is compatible to our previous studies and is adequate for image-based online inspection of defects and fecal contamination on apples.