Nondestructive determination of sugar content in potato tubers using visible and near infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was investigated as a method for the nondestructive measurement of sugar content in intact potato tubers. The NIR spectra (400-1100 nm) of potato samples were acquired by fiber optics in the interactance mode. Calibration models for the prediction of the fructose and glucose contents were developed by a partial least squares statistical analysis method. The calibration model gave standard errors of prediction of 0.26 mg/g for fructose and 0.46 mg/g for glucose. The preliminary results showed that NIR spectroscopy gives a reasonable estimate that can be used for nondestructive sorting of potatoes according to their sugar content.