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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #363786
Research Project: Production Management Research for Berry Crops (BRIDGE PROJECT)

Location: Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory

Title: Research into bruise damage and development of bruise detection technologies to separate bruised and non-bruised blueberries

Author
item Takeda, Fumiomi

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/31/2019
Publication Date: 3/1/2019
Citation: Takeda, F. 2019. Research into bruise damage and development of bruise detection technologies to separate bruised and non-bruised blueberries. Proceedings of Conferencja Borowkowa 2019. p. 76-82.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Our early research with impact sensor probes and videography showed that most of the fruit (when machine harvested with shaking rods) dropped straight down once detached from the bush. The catch plates at the bottom of the harvester caused the bulk of the damage to the fruit. The sensor, blueberry impact recording device (BIRD) measured impacts of individual blueberries during mechanical harvest. The sensor recorded highest values when it contacted the hard-plastic catch plates and aluminum surfaces located below the drum shakers. An instrument was developed to detect and measure impact damage within the fruit. This technology is called hyperspectral imaging. The best wavelength for detecting internal damage in blueberry fruit was around 1,140 nm. The average accuracy of this system was about 95%. The best part of this system was the fact that bruise damage could be quantified non-destructively and there was no need to slice the fruit. The results indicated that bruised blueberries can be detected as soon as 30 minutes after mechanical image was made.