Developing a Machine Vision System Equipped with UV Light to Predict Fish Freshness Based on Fish-Surface Color

This study assessed the feasibility of developing a machine vision system equipped with ultraviolet (UV) light, using changes in fish-surface color to predict aerobic plate count (APC, a standard freshness indicator) during storage. The APC values were tested and images of the fish surface were taken when fish were stored at room temperature. Then, images’ color-space conversion among RGB, HSV, and L*a*b* color spaces was carried out and analyzed. The results revealed that a* and b* values from the UV-light image decreased linearly during storage. A further regression analysis of these two parameters with APC value demonstrated a good exponential relationship between the a* value and the APC value (R2 = 0.97), followed by the b* (R2 = 0.85). Therefore, our results suggest that the change in color of the fish surface under UV light can be used to assess fish freshness during storage.

Relationships between leaf color changes,pigment levels,enzyme activity,photosynthetic fluorescence characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure of Liquidambar formosana Hance

Liquidambar formosana Hance is an attractive landscape tree species because its leaves gradually change from green to red,purple or orange in autumn.In this study,the red variety of L.formosana was used to establish a quantitative model of leaf color.Physiological changes in leaf color,pigment levels,enzyme activity,photosynthetic fluorescence characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure were monitored.The relationship between leaf color and physiological structure indices was quantitatively analyzed to systematically explore the mechanisms behind leaf color.Our data showed that with a decrease in external temperatures,chloroplast numbers and sizes gradually decreased,thylakoid membranes became distorted,and chlorophyll synthesis was blocked and gradually decreased.As a result,chloroplast membranes could not be biosynthesized normally;net photosynthesis,maximum and actual photochemical efficiency,and rate of electron transfer decreased rapidly.Excess light energy caused leaf photoinhibition.With intensification of photoinhibition,leaves protected themselves using two mechanisms.In the first,anthocyanin synthesis was promoted by increasing chalcone isomerase and flavonoid glycosyltransferase activities and soluble sugar content so as to increase anthocyanin to filter light and eliminate reactive oxygen species to reduce photoinhibition.In the second,excessive light energy was consumed in the form of heat energy by increasing the non-photochemical quenching coefficient.These processes tuned the leaves red.

Walnut Meal Whitening and the Impact of Whitening Factors on Its Quality

Walnut meal is a nutrient-rich product and has a high nutritional value. Walnut meal is a product that can be used in food technology, in order to improve the nutritional quality, expand the range of confectionery products, and replaces the walnut kernel. Due to the dark color, the use of the walnut meal in the preparation of pastries would have a negative effect on the appearance of some final products and the whitening process would allow its use without negatively influencing the final product. The aim of the research is to whiten Juglans regial L. walnut meal as a valuable nutritious raw material. Hydrogen peroxide was used to bleach the walnut meal, and the pH, concentration of the whitening agent and the concentration of the meal were used as variable parameters of the bleaching process. The color descriptors (Whitening index, Saturation index, Total color difference, Browning index) were calculated to establish the optimal whitening conditions of the walnut meal. The obtained results showed that an alkaline medium, with the hydrogen peroxide concentration of 10% and 2.5% meal concentration allows obtaining the best color parameters in terms of Lightness (82.20) and Whitening Index (71.20). In addition, the study of walnut meal quality in terms of peroxide value evolution showed that the treatment with hydrogen peroxide does not affect in any way the value of the peroxide index of the lipids. The highest peroxide value (4.91 mmol/g oil) was recorded for the sample bleached in a 10% Hydrogen peroxide solution, with a pH of 10 against the 4.71 mmol/g oil for the unbleached sample.

Soil texture prediction through stratification of a regional soil spectral library

Knowing the spatial distribution of soil texture,which is a physical property,is essential to support agricultural and environmental decision making.Soil texture can be estimated using visible,near infrared,and shortwave infrared(Vis-NIR-SWIR)spectroscopy.However,the performance of spectroscopic models is variable because of soil heterogeneity.Currently,few studies address the effects of soil sample variability on the performance of the models,especially for larger spectral libraries that include soils that are more heterogeneous.Therefore,the objectives of this study were to:i)apply Vis-based color parameters on the stratification of a regional soil spectral library;ii)evaluate the performance of the predictive models generated from the spectral library stratification;iii)compare the performance of stratified models(SMs)and the model without stratification(WSM),and iv)explain possible changes in prediction accuracy based on the SMs.Thus,a regional soil spectral library with 1535 samples from the State of Santa Catarina,Brazil was used.Soil reflectance data were obtained by Vis-NIR-SWIR spectroscopy in the laboratory using a spectroradiometer covering the 350–2500 nm spectral range.Sand,silt,and clay fractions were determined using the pipette method.Twenty-two components of color parameters were derived from the Vis spectrum using the colorimetric models.A cubist regression algorithm was used to assess the accuracy of the applicability of the initial models(SMs and WSM)and of the validation between the clusters.Fractional order derivatives(FODs)at 0.5,1.5,and 2 intervals were used to explain possible changes in the performance of the SMs.The SMs with higher contents of clay and iron oxides obtained the highest accuracy,and the most important spectral bands were identified,mainly in the 480–550 and 850–900 nm ranges and the 1400,1900,and 2200 nm bands.Therefore,stratification of soil spectral libraries is a good strategy to improve regional assessments of soil resources,reducing prediction errors in the qualitative determination of soil properties.