Image processing analysis to track colour changes on apple and correlate to moisture content in drying stages

Abstract

Colour and moisture content are two most important attributes of the commercial food product. Estimation of moisture content is very important to know the storability of the food product. It also relates to the process of drying in a fruit or vegetable. Extra drying and shrinkage deteriorates the quality of food product. The goal of the experiment was to examine the changes in RGB values of an apple during drying at different temperatures. In this study, emphasis was given on how the colour changes when there is a significant change in the moisture content of the apple. Three randomly chosen varieties of apples were sliced to 8 mm thickness and dried in vacuum oven at 60°C, 70°C, and 80°C. The loss of moisture was recorded for every 30 min interval and corresponding digital images were taken to determine the change in RGB value. The images that were captured during the study was analysed in MATLAB image analysis computer software. The analysis of moisture content and average colour share with respect to time showed that average colour share value decreases with time at all three temperatures. More than 50 per cent of variation in moisture content was explained by average colour share. There is a significant linear relationship between moisture content and colour changes in RGB and can be used to predict the moisture content of apple during drying process.