Document Type : Research Article
Authors
1 PhD Student , Biosystems Engineering Department, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Biosystems Engineering Department, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Agricultural Engineering Research Department, Isfahan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Isfahan, Iran.
4 Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Department, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran; Member of Dental Implants Research Center, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical
Abstract
Introduction
Isfahan province is considered to be one of the top ten producing provinces of apple orchards with an area of 17,274 hectares and a production of 120,000 tons of apple trees. Determining the quality parameters of agricultural products requires the use of various methods, which are different according to the nature and characteristics of each product. The two main categories for dividing these methods include analytical (objective) methods and sensory (intrinsic) methods. Both qualitative assessment methods can be used in destructive and non-destructive ways. Apple is one of the fruits that can be stored for a relatively long time. Physiological changes during the storage period are inevitable and cause some quality characteristics of the fruit to change, such as firmness, moisture content, density, pH, and soluble solids. Using the methods of determining and extracting the quality characteristics of fruit during storage and monitoring the changes created, provides a suitable criterion for selecting and preparing the necessary conditions for storage and storage at the disposal of users and producers. Among the methods used are X-ray imaging technique and computed tomography, which are now well-known in various fields of agriculture and food quality evaluation. X-rays are electromagnetic waves with a short wavelength (0.01 to 10 nm) and high energy (from 120 electron volts to 120 kilo electron volts) that can penetrate many materials.
Materials and Methods
In order to determine the relationship between the physicochemical properties and the CT number of Golden Delicious apples, 280 Golden Delicious apples were obtained from an orchard located in Semirom city of Isfahan and stored in a cold store at a temperature of 0 and 4 ºC and a humidity of 85±5%. The samples of stored apples were harvested in 4 stages and based on the duration of storage, respectively on days zero (the beginning of storage), 45, 90 and 135 days, and the desired tests were performed on the samples. These tests included non-destructive tests of CT scan imaging and destructive tests to extract the physicochemical properties of apples, including CT number, pH, firmness, moisture, density, and soluble solids. At the end, with the specified values, Pearson correlation coefficients between CT number and other physicochemical properties were determined. Also, by plotting the mentioned values, the most suitable regression equations with the highest coefficients of determination were obtained.
Results and Discussion
Based on the results, the average value of CT number, pH, firmness, moisture, density and total soluble solid of apple at two temperatures of zero and 4 ºC were -115.02 and -166.86, 3.85 and 3.86, 76 37.36 and 33.36 N, 0.82 and 0.80%, 0.76 and 0.72 g/cm3 and 15.30 and 15.79% Brix, respectively. The results showed that the CT number has a negative linear correlation with pH and total soluble solid and a positive linear correlation with the properties of apple firmness, moisture and fruit density. Based on result, at two storage temperatures of 0 and 4 ºC, the coefficients of determination (R2) obtained from the linear regression model of CT number with pH levels of 0.75 and 0.55, apple firmness 32. 0 and 0.57, moisture content 0.78 and 0.85, fruit density 0.82 and 0.84 and total soluble solid 0.85 and 0.62 were obtained.
Conclusion
These results show that the non-destructive test of X-ray imaging can be used with a suitable approximation to determine some quality properties of apple products.
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