Non-Destructive Technique based on Specific Gravity for Post-harvest Mangifera Indica L. Cultivar Maturity

Non-destructive methods for fruit quality monitoring are greatly relevant for process control in the food quality industry. One of the properties of Mangifera Indica L. (Mango) that could be used as a basis for non-destructive quality evaluation is specific gravity. With this respect, specific gravity was evaluated to predict the internal quality of the Mango. Specific gravity is the ratio of the fruits to the density of the water. Traditionally, in adapting the specific gravity approach, farmers and agriculturist will estimate the maturity of the Mango by using floating techniques based on differences in density. However, this is inconvenient and time consuming. Based on the specific gravity value, the maturity of the Mango can be estimate. Hence, image processing techniques were proposed to estimate the specific gravity of Mango. The predicted specific gravity of 50 mangoes were used and compared with the actual result with high correlation of R=75.69%.The result showed the image processing techniques can be applied for non-destructive Mango quality evaluation based on specific gravity.

I. Introduction

Mangifera Indica L. (Mango) is one of the world's most popular tropical fruits with a rising production trend every year [1]. In Peninsular Malaysia, Mango is grown in a limited, mixed property or orchard. According to “Fruit Crops Statistics” report produced by the Department of Agriculture Putrajaya, Malaysia in 2015, the area of Mango orchard in Peninsular Malaysia is 5772.7 hectareage[2]. Mango is a member of the family Anacardiaceae with 500 classified of Mango varieties throughout the world[3].