A Four-Level Maturity Index for Hot Peppers (Capsicum annum) Using Non-Invasive Automated Mobile Raman Spectroscopy for On-Site Testing

A handheld Raman spectrometer was used to determine the ripeness of peppers. Raman spectra were recorded non-invasively on the fruit surface. The spectroscopic data were transformed into a classification scheme referred to as the maturity index which allowed for attribution of the fruit stadium to f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2021-02, Vol.11 (4), p.1614
Main Authors: Legner, Robin, Voigt, Melanie, Servatius, Carla, Klein, Johannes, Hambitzer, Antje, Jaeger, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Automation
Carotenoids
Chemometrics
Chlorophyll
Color
Data analysis
Depolymerization
Evolution
Fruits
handheld Raman spectrometer
Humidity
Investigations
Laptop computers
Lasers
Maturity
maturity index
Multivariate analysis
nondestructive sensing
Onsite
Peppers
Polysaccharides
Principal components analysis
Raman spectra
Raman spectroscopy
Respiration
Ripening
Software
Spectrometers
Spectroscopy
Spectrum analysis
Tomatoes
Workflow
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Summary:A handheld Raman spectrometer was used to determine the ripeness of peppers. Raman spectra were recorded non-invasively on the fruit surface. The spectroscopic data were transformed into a classification scheme referred to as the maturity index which allowed for attribution of the fruit stadium to four levels from immature to fully mature. Hot pepper and tomato ripening includes pectic polysaccharide depolymerization, chlorophyll degradation and carotenoid formation, among others. The latter were followed non-invasively by Raman spectroscopy. Two portable systems and one benchtop system were compared for their applicability and robustness to establish a suitable maturity index. Spectral acquisition, data treatment and multivariate data analysis were automated using a Matlab script on a laptop computer. The automated workflow provided a graphic visualization of the relevant parameters and results on-site in real time. In terms of reliability and applicability, the chemometric model to determine the maturity of fruits was compared to a univariate procedure based on the average intensity and ratio of three characteristic signals. Portable Raman spectrometers in combination with the maturity index or a chemometric model should be suitable to assess the stage of maturing for carotenoid-containing fruits and thus to determine ripeness on-site or during a sorting process in an automated manner.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app11041614