A Deep Learning Based System for Automatic Sorting and Quality Grading of Citrus Fruits

The citrus industry plays a pivotal role in the global agricultural sector, contributing significantly to the economy. Approximately 161 million tonnes of citrus fruits were produced worldwide. One third of the total production is used in processing industry. The price of citrus fruits is highly dependent on its quality parameters such as size, citrus color index, maturity index, diseases etc. Therefore, grading and sorting of citrus fruits based on the quality parameters is demand of the market to maximize the profit. Manual grading and sorting are labour-intensive, time-consuming, and often prone to human error. Automatic grading and sorting of citrus fruits can resolve the above-stated issues. In this paper, we utilize the pattern recognition and image processing potential of deep learning techniques and propose a deep learning based automated system to revolutionize the citrus fruits grading process. The system utilizes Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to extract high-level features from lemon, orange images, allowing for accurate classification based on quality parameters such as size, color, and visual defects. We curated a dataset comprising diverse lemon, orange samples from Kaggle to evaluate the performance of the developed model. Additionally, our system incorporates real-time processing capabilities, ensuring a swift and continuous flow of fruits through the sorting process. Thus, it offers a robust and scalable solution for the citrus industry to enhance profit in the global citrus market.