Internal Quality Evaluation of Fruit with Soft X-ray Transparent Image

Abstract

In this study, soft X-ray imaging systems are examined as an evaluation method for the internal quality of fruits (peaches, pears, and apples). An imaging system using an X-ray generator, a fluorescent plate and a monochrome CCD camera was used for acquiring transmission images of the fruits. As a result, split-pits and rotten cores of fruits were detected through the X-ray images in real-time. Furthermore, by using an X-ray generator with tunable output power, we determined that suitable parameters for the internal quality evaluation of apples were a voltage of 70kV and a current of 3mA. However, the discoloration disease of fruit flesh could not be clearly detected because the normal and abnormal flesh parts exhibited too little difference in water content.