Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-018-9907-0

ORIGINAL PAPER

Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut

pear by digital image analysis
Esther Arias1 · Rosa Oria1 · Pascual López-Buesa1

Received: 2 February 2018 / Accepted: 14 August

2018
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018

Abstract
Enzymatic browning limits the shelf life of minimally processed fruit and vegetables. This parameter determines the
visual appearance, which influences consumer perception and therefore affects the level of purchase acceptability. Its rapid
measure- ment in the commercial chain would be very useful for establishing quality levels. We explore here the potential
of digital measurement of browning for determining the acceptability and shelf life of two varieties of fresh-cut pear
(Conferencia and Decana del Comicio). Samples were evaluated over two weeks by three methods: visually by a human
panel, by image analysis, and instrumentally (CIELAB values L*a*b*C* and h*). As an experimental set up, we used
pear slices stored at
4 °C under specific atmospheric conditions known to produce differences in the degree of browning. Both the human
evalu- ation and image analyses revealed significant differences among the storage conditions, with similar trends. Image
analysis of browning corresponded well with shelf life days. The correlation coefficients between percentage of brown area
and shelf life ranged from 0.867 to 0.979 in the case of Conferencia and from 0.753 to 0.997 in the case of Decana del
Comicio, for the different atmospheric conditions. Also, the percentage of brown area was highly correlated with human
visual evalua- tions (Pearson correlation higher than 0.7 for all cases). The image analysis of browning is a reliable tool for
objectively and quantitatively determining the quality and shelf life of fresh cut pear, and may be considered suitable for
use by the food processing industry.

Keywords Fresh cut pear · Modified atmosphere · Image analysis · Enzymatic browning · Shelf life
1
Introduction Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón-IA2-(Universidad de
Zaragoza-CITA), C/Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza,
Spain
Browning of fresh cut fruit and vegetables due to
mechanical injury during postharvest processing and
marketing is the most important cause of quality and value
loss in affected commodities. This parameter determines
the visual appear- ance, which influences consumer
perception and therefore affects the level of purchase
acceptability. Traditionally, enzymatic browning has
been quantified using browning indicators based on a
biochemical index; for example, the polyphenol oxidase
activity [1–7], concentration of total phenols [1, 2, 6, 8],
browning index [9, 10] or physical indi- cators such as
surface colour [2, 4, 9–12]. In food research, colour is
frequently represented using the L*a*b* colour

* Esther Arias
estheral@unizar.es

13 13
space. The three parameters of this model represent the
lightness of colour (L*), which ranges from 0 to 100, its
position between red and green (a*, values between − 120
and + 120) and its position between yellow and blue (b*,
val- ues between − 120 and + 120) [13]. Most authors
describe browning using the L* value as a good indicator
of darken- ing of the sample [14–17]. However, the a*
value is also used because of its correlation with reddish
tonalities [1, 18,
19]. Although CIE L*a*b* is the most widely used method,
it has some disadvantages, mainly related to the non-
13
uniform surfaces. Spectrophotometers and tristimulus
colorimeters can be used to evaluate objects with uniform
surfaces. Non- uniform surfaces may be blended or
processed to provide uniformity but this will provide only
an average colour and will not represent the original colour
and appearance of the sample.
In last years, alternative methods based on digital image
analysis have been proposed for several foods [5, 13, 20–
26]. This is a non invasive method able to rapidly quantify
darkened areas even in surfaces showing non uniform
brown patterns, as
13
Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

is the case for fresh cut fruit pieces. Camera-computer

technol- ogy includes capture, processing and image Plant material
analysis, allowing a rapid and nondestructive assessment of
visual quality char- acteristics in food products. It may be The pears (Pirus Communis), Conferencia and Decana del
used in many diverse industries or even in the commercial Comicio, (commercial ripeness stage: 14 ºBrix and 22 N
chain to assess the quality of a product or to estimate its
shelf life. Its speed and accuracy satisfy ever-increasing
production and quality requirements, hence aiding in the
development of totally automated pro- cesses [27, 28].
Image analysis offers the advantage of speed over other
similar sensory evaluation methods because it can be used to
rapidly analyze color characteristics using photo- graphic
information [23, 29].
Yoruk et al. [30] used this method to evaluate the effec-
tiveness of oxalic acid as an anti-browning agent for mini-
mally processed bananas and apples. Rocculi et al. [28]
used the method to compare the influence of different non-
conventional atmospheres (90% N2 + 5% O2 + 5% CO2;
90%
N2O + 5% O2 + 5% CO2 and 25% Ar + 5% O2 + 5% CO2)
on
the prevention of enzymatic browning in minimally pro-
cessed apples. Other authors have used the methodology
to determine the acceptability and shelf life of other fruits
and vegetables such as fresh cut lettuces [31], baby spin-
ach leaves [30], fresh cut pears [32], persimmon fruit [13],
mango [5], dried apple slices [33] and pomegranate [20].
When the aim is to determine visual changes in tissue,
it is difficult to quantify the degree or severity of defects.
In these cases, it might be useful to combine the methods
based on digital image analysis with quantitative scoring
system [9, 24, 34]. Kader [35] has developed a five-grade
scoring system (1 = no symptoms, 2 = slight, 3 =
moder- ate, 4 = severe, 5 = extreme) for many fruits and
vegetable defects, which may be described by a detailed
list of charac- teristics and photographs. Moreover, it could
be easily used by the food industry to measure quality of
fresh-cut product during shelf life. In addition, this scoring
system is used to define marketability and the limit of
edibility for food items.
The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the suit-
ability of digital image analysis for estimating the shelf life
of fresh cut pears based on their susceptibility to brown-
ing. Comparing evaluations by a human panel using a five-
grade scoring system in combination with a method based
on digital image analysis will allow the development of an
acceptable limit which can be used as a threshold for deter-
mining whether fresh cut pears are still acceptable or
should be discarded.

Materials and methods

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 Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

firmness for Conference and 13ºBrix and 24N firmness AIR 13.55 ± 0.21a 23.14 ± 1.61
for Decana del Comicio) (see Table 1) were hand-picked ATM1 13.22 ± 0.17b 23.99 ± 2.42
at an experimental orchard in La Almunia (Zaragoza- ATM2 13.57 ± 0.51ab 24.12 ± 1.91
Spain). They were immediately transported to our ATM3 13.60 ± 0.38ab 23.84 ± 1.88
laboratory and stored at 4 °C during one day until further Different letters indicate significant differences between groups
processing. (p < 0.05)
The values are mean with their standard deviation
Treatment and storage
conditions

The whole fruits were washed in chilled water containing

100 mg L− 1 of sodium hypochlorite (adjusted to pH 6.5
with citric acid) during 5 min and then gravity drained.
The peel was removed with an automatic peeler (Orange
peeler, Pela- matic) and the fruit was cored manually. Each
item of fruit was cut into 10–12 slices with sharp stainless
steel knives. The slices were cut in radial direction.
During the study of tolerance to different atmospheres,
the pears were stored in hermetic boxes of 25 L capac-
ity, under specific atmospheric conditions (atmosphere
1: 21% O2 + 10% CO2 + 70% N2 (ATM 1); atmosphere
2:
2% O2 + 0% CO2 + 98% N2 (ATM 2); atmosphere 3: 2%
O2 + 10% CO2 + 88% N2 (ATM 3)) in the dark at 4 °C.
The
different gas mixtures were acquired in compressed gas
bot-
tles, and a flow regulator was used to set a stream of 1
L/min after being humidified by bubbling through water.
The con- trol samples (stored in air) were processed in the
same way.
The gas concentration in the head-space of the box was
checked daily by injection of a sample in a gas chromato-
graph (Hewlett Packard 4890) equipped with a thermal
con- ductivity detector (TCD). A Chrompack CP-
Carboplot P7

Table 1 ºBrix and Firmness (N) values of Conferencia (A)

and Decana del Comicio (B) fresh cut pear stored in different
atmospheric composition; air, ATM 1 (21% O2 + 10% CO2), ATM 2
(2% O2 + 0% CO2), ATM 3 (2% O2 + 10% CO2), at 4 °C

ºBrix Firmness (N)

(A) Conference
Initial day 14.07 ± 0.51 22.10 ± 1.97
After 16 days
AIR 14.05 ± 0.41 21.90 ± 1.51
ATM1 14.12 ± 0.12 21.57 ± 1.42
ATM2 14.07 ± 0.52 20.98 ± 1.81
ATM3 14.07 ± 0.37 20.74 ± 1.78
(B) Decana del Comicio
Initial day 13.65 ± 0.23a 24.52 ± 2.14
After 16 days

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Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

column (inside diameter 0.53 mm, length 27.5 m) was used Analysis of soluble solids content
with helium as a carrier gas at a flow rate of 12.6 mL
min−1. The initial temperature of the oven was set at 40 °C Soluble solids were determined in triplicate in juice
and after extracted from 20 fruits using a refractometer at 20 °C, and
2.5 min it was increased at a rate of 45 °C min−1 to a final the values were expressed in ºBrix.
temperature of 115 °C. The temperature of the injector
block was 59 °C and the detector temperature was 120 °C.
Fruit firmness determination
Colour measurement Fruit firmness was measured with a texture analyzer TA-
TX plus (Stable Micro Systems, Goaldming, England) by
Colorimetric measurements were carried out with and means of a penetration test, using a 6 mm diameter probe.
Instrument System Spectroradiometer IS CAS 140 (Instru- Ten rep- licates were evaluated from each batch.
ment System, Munich, Germany) using a TOP 100 probe.
The spectroradiometer was equipped with a Nikon f:200
mm objective. CIELAB values L*,a*,b*,C* and h* were
deter- mined. Ten replications were evaluated from each
batch.

Fig. 1 Loss of quality deter- AIR 21 %O2 + 10 %CO2 2 %O2 + 0 %CO2 2 %O2 + 10 %CO2
mined by sensory analysis for
Conferencia (a) and Decana 6
del Comicio (b) fresh cut pear
A h h
Loss of quality

stored in different atmospheric

composition (filled black bar— 5 f f
air, filled dark grey bar—21%
O2 + 10% CO2, filled light 4
grey bar—2% O2 + 0% CO2, d d j j
open bar—2% O2 + 10% CO2)
at 4 °C. The values are mean 3
e g g
with their standard deviation. b e
One-way ANOVA and Dunkey 2 b
post-hoc tests were used for sta- c
tistical data analysis (p < 0.05) a a a a c
1
for each day of analysis. Cut-off
point between acceptable and
unacceptable quality 0
0 4 8 12 16
Days of storage

AIR 21 %O2 + 10 %CO2 2 %O2 + 0 %CO2 2 %O2 + 10 %CO2

6
B f f
f f
Loss of quality

5 d d
b b
4 e
c e
c
3

2
a a a a
1

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Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

0 5 10 15
Days of storage

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Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

Fig. 2 Brown area percentage

Percent brown area

AIR 21 %O2 + 10 %CO2 2 %O2 + 0 %CO2 2 %O2 + 10 %CO2
of Conferencia (a) and Decana
del Comicio (b) fresh cut pear 6,0
stored in different atmospheric
composition (filled black bar—
A
air, filled dark grey bar—21% 5,0
O2 + 10% CO2, filled light j
grey bar—2% O2 + 0% CO2, j
4,0 h
open bar—2% O2 + 10% CO2)
at 4 °C. The values are mean
with their standard deviation. 3,0
One-way ANOVA and Dunkey f i i
d
post-hoc tests were used for sta- 2,0 d d
tistical data analysis (p < 0.05)
for each day of analysis b b b g g
1,0 e
a a a a c
0,0
0 4 8 12 16
Days of storage
AIR 21 %O2 + 10 %CO2 2 %O2 + 0 %CO2 2 %O2 + 10 %CO2
Percent brown area

6,0
B f f f
5,0 d
d f
4,0
b
3,0 e
b
bc e
2,0 c
a a a a
1,0

0,0
0 5 10 15
Days of storage

Sensory analysis Image analysis

A trained panel consisting of 10 people evaluated the sen-
sory quality of the samples, initially and then every 3–4
days throughout the storage period. Each panelist was
given several pieces from each batch and requested to
evaluate appearance, flavour (characteristic flavour and
off-flavours), taste (characteristic and abnormal taste),
firmness and degree of browning. The panelists rated each
sample on a scale of
1–5, called a loss of quality scale (LOQ). The following
descriptors were used: 1, acceptable; 2, mostly acceptable;
3, somewhat acceptable; 4, mostly unacceptable; 5, unac-
ceptable. Mean values with standard errors were reported
(n = 10). A score of 3 was considered to be the cut-off
point between acceptable and unacceptable quality.
The measurement of surface browning by image analysis
was carried out using the method described by Mendoza
and Aguilera [36], with slight modifications. The vision
system consisted of the following elements:
(1) Lighting system For image acquisition, the pear slices
were illuminated using 2 halogen lamps (Philips) with
a color temperature of 3000 K. The 2 lamps were
arranged at 40 cm above the sample and at an angle of
45° with the sample.
(2) Digital camera A 6.3 Mp CMOS sensor color digi-
tal camera, model Canon EOS 10d (Amsterdam, The
Netherlands), equipped with a 50-mmlens, was placed

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Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

in front of the sample at a distance of 40 cm. The

angle

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Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

between the camera lens and the lighting source axis PPO activ- ity in the samples stored in an atmosphere with
was approximately 45°. Images from 1 side of the a high CO2 content (2% O2 + 12% CO2). Gallota et al.
pear slices were taken on a matte black background [38] study the combined effect of the ripening stage of
using the following camera settings: manual mode cold stored fruit
with the lens aperture at f = 2.8 and speed 1/2000, no
zoom, no flash, autofocus, maximum resolution, and
storage in JPEG format.
(3) Image processing The digital images were
preprocessed using a median filter. This low pass
filter allowed the pre-smoothing of noisy images,
improving their qual- ity. The pre-processing of full
images, color analysis, browning quantification, and
image texture analysis were determined using the
program ADImag, devel- oped at the Image
Processing Centre of the University of Zaragoza
(Spain). All the pear images were pro- cessed using
the same procedure and measurements were done in
20 replications.

Statistical analysis

All the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for

Social Science (SPSS) 15.0 software. One-way ANOVA
and the Dunkey post-hoc test were used for statistical data
analysis (p < 0.05). Correlation coefficients between
human evaluation and digital measurement were obtained
using the Pearson correlation, and the regression equations
in Figs. 6 and 7 were derived from the polynomial
regression analysis.

Results and discussion

Sensory analysis and colour measurement

The stored fresh cut pear was evaluated by a human

sensory panel at each sampling time. The atmosphere was
seen to have a substantial influence on the shelf life of the
product. The samples kept in air and in ATM 2 obtained
the low- est values from the first day of analysis owing to
their high degree of browning (Figs. 1, 2). In the case of
both varieties, Conferencia and Decana del Comicio, the
samples kept in atmospheres with a high concentration of
CO2 (ATM 1 and ATM 3) proved to be considerably less
susceptible to brown- ing and thus had a higher degree of
general acceptability throughout their conservation.
The browning reaction rate is influenced by the amount
of O2 and CO2 available in the surroundings of the vegetal
tissue. There are many studies about this. Rocha and
Morais [37] tested the influence of different controlled
atmospheres on the appearance of browning on minimally
processed apple and found a greater degree of inhibition of

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 Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

before processing and the length of the storage period of Fig. 3 a* values of Conferencia (a) and Decana del Comicio (b) fresh
fresh-cut slices after minimal processing, on the behaviour cut pear stored in different atmospheric composition (diamond—air,
square—21% O2 + 10% CO2, triangle—2% O2 + 0% CO2, circle—2%
of minimally processed “Big Bang” nectarines during shelf O2 + 10% CO2) at 4 °C. The values are mean with their standard devi-
life. The nectarine slices after cutting and packaging in ation
pas- sive atmosphere showed a progressive increase of CO2
with
a parallel decrease in O2. More particularly, CO2 level was
between 18 and 23 Kpa at the last time of storage that is
a very good result for peach preservation. Arias et al. [1],
optimize the processing of fresh cut pear packaging with a
microperforated film triggers inside the packaging a
passive modified atmosphere whose composition is 10–
12% O2 and
10–8% CO2. As a result of all this process the quality of
the
refrigerated product was preserved for 12 days.
On the other hand, some studies have shown the higher
correlation of the visual appearance score (by sensory
analy- sis) with the colour parameters CIEL*a*b*. To
improve the repeatability of a scoring system, the
photographs of each score could be associated with
different physical and chemi- cal indicators. As previously
reported [1, 39], a coordinate colour represents an
indicator of freshness and quality of fresh cut pear. a*
values of Conferencia and Decana del Comicio fresh cut
pear stored in different atmospheric com- position for 15 or
16 days respectively, are shown in Fig. 3. The loss in
visual appearance is related to a reduction in lightness and
variation of pulp colour from white to darker brown. Our
results show that the changes are well described

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Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

AIR 1º 2º 3º

2,10% brown area

21%O2 + 10% CO2 1º 2º 3º

0,71% brown area

2%O2 + 0% CO2 1º 2º 3º

2,49% brown area

2%O2 + 10% CO2 1º 2º 3º

0,73% brown area

Fig. 4 Examples of stages during image processing of
Conferencia fresh cut pear stored in different atmospheric
conditions (air, 21% O2 + 10% CO2, 2% O2 + 0% CO2, 2% O2 + 10%
CO2) during 12 days at 4 °C. The image corresponds to one of the
20 replicates analysed
from each batch. (1°) initial image and application of median filter.
(2°) segmentation (obtaining final binary image). (3°) analysis for
calculating the percentage of browning area

by a* parameter measured by colorimeter. In particular, storage of fresh-cut pineapple and mango fruit associated
a slight increase in a* mean values a visual appearance with development of translucent
decreased, meaning an increase in brown components as
reported above by sensory evaluation (Fig. 1). An increase
in a* was detected in slices as their scores (LOQ > 3),
express- ing a change toward darker brown from the 8th
day of shelf life for Conference fresh cut pear and from the
5th day for Decana del Comicio fresh cut pear (Fig. 3).
Other studies have shown the good relationship between
color coordinates and enzymatic browning in fresh cut
product reported a reduction of chroma and visual
appearance during the stor- age of fresh cut peach [4] and
apple [11]. A reduction of b* was reported during the cold

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 Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

colour and browning respectively [40]. The loss in visual

appearance was related to a reduction in lightness and vari-
ation of colour from yellow to darker orange in fresh cut
nectarine [24]. Cho and Moon [21] obtained a high rela-
tionship between visual assessment and b* value (lowest
b* value) in fresh cut lettuce divided into 4 treatment types
of dipping (distilled water, ultrasound treatment for 90 s in
distilled water, blanching for 90 s at 45 °C and blanching
after ultrasound treatment).

Image analysis of percentage of brown

area

As an example, Fig. 4 shows the three stages carried out

during the image processing. The image is representative

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Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

AIR AIR AIR

0.56% brown area 2.12% brown area 3,83% brown area

ATM1 ATM1 ATM1

0.61% brown area 1.71% brown area 1,83% brown area

ATM2 ATM2 ATM2

0.58% brown area 2.01% brown area 3.85% brown area

ATM3 ATM3 ATM3

0.46% brown area 1.06% brown area 1,85% brown area

0 5 10
Time (days)

Fig. 5 Evolution of percentage of brown area for Decana del Comicio fresh cut pear determined by digital image analysis. The pear was
stored for 10 days in different atmospheric conditions (air, ATM1: 21% O2 + 10% CO2, ATM2: 2% O2 + 0% CO2, ATM3: 2% O2 + 10% CO2) at
4 °C

of the 20 replicates analysed in each batch of Conferencia
pear. The image analysis stages are: (1°) initial image and
application of a median filter, (2°) segmentation (obtain-
ing the final binary image) and (3°) analysis for calculating
the browning area percentage. The images correspond to
the twelfth day of conservation. Furthermore, Fig. 5 shows
the evolution of the browning area percentage of one of the
Decana del Comicio fresh cut pear samples analysed over
10 days of conservation. There is an example of one of the
20 images analysed for each batch on each day of
analysis.
The brown area percentage showed a steady increase in
all the atmospheres (Fig. 2). Similar to the trends identi-
fied by the human visual evaluation and a* values, the
best atmospheres were those with high CO2 concentrations
(ATM 1 and ATM 3). During the initial period of stor-
age, no significant (p > 0.05) differences were observed
between the groups before the 4th day and 5th day of stor-
age (for Conferencia and Decana del Comicio, respec-
tively) for the area of browning. Only a slight degree of
browning was evident. In the case of Conference fresh cut
pear, browning observed on the 8th day of storage, con-
stituted 1.55% and 1.66% of the total area sample in the
control groups (stored in air) and group stored in ATM2,
respectively. In the other groups (ATM 1 and ATM 3, with
higher CO2 concentration), the % browning area was < 1%.
On the last day of storage, significant (p < 0.05) differences

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Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

AIR 21 % O2 + 10 % CO2
6,0 5,0 6,0 5,0
y= 0,0049x 2+ 0,231x + 0,9147
5,0 R² = 0,9922 5,0
4,0 4,0
4,0 4,0
3,0 3,0
3,0 3,0 y = 0,0085x2 + 0,0256x + 0,9522
R² = 0,9291
2,0 2,0
2,0 2,0

Percent brown area

Loss of quality

1,0 y = -0,0018x2 + 0,177x + 0,2147 1,0 1,0 1,0

R² = 0,9687 y = 0,001x 2 + 0,0936x + 0,2401
R² = 0,8673
0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Days of Days of storage
storage

2 % O2 + 0 % CO2 2 % O2 + 10 % CO2
6,0 5,0 6,0 5,0

5,0 y = 0,0057x 2 + 0,2069x + 0,9726 5,0

4,0 4,0
R² = 0,9976
4,0 4,0
3,0 3,0
3,0 y = 0,0071x 2 + 0,0475x + 0,943
3,0 R² = 0,8627
2,0 2,0
2,0 2,0
y = -0,0009x 2 + 0,2182x + 0,1921
1,0 R² = 0,9785 1,0 1,0
1,0
y = 0,0123x 2 - 0,0717x + 0,222
0,0 0,0 0,0 R² = 0,9267
0,0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Days of Days of
storage storage
Fig. 6 Regression equations for LOQ (filled square—solid line) and atmospheres (21% O2 + 10% CO2, 2% O2 + 0% CO2, 2% O2 + 10%
digital image analysis of browning (open square—broken line) and CO2) during 14 days at 4 °C. The lines in the graphs are polynomial
their R2 coefficients of Conferencia fresh cut pear stored in different regressions

were observed between the groups for the area of brown- ing. The results clearly demonstrate that image analysis of
ing. The smallest browning area of 1.81% was observed browning is effective in determining differences in fresh
for the fresh cut pear stored in ATM 3. The control value cut pears kept in different conditions.
was 3.47%, the ATM 2 group was 3.58% and the ATM 1
group was 1.99%. These results were similar to results
obtained in the shelf life study with Decana fresh cut pear.
But, in this case, the influence of high CO2 (ATM 1 1 and
3) was not significant until the last day. In the last day,
no
significant (p > 0.05) differences were observed
between the groups.
The susceptibility of the Decana variety to browning
was considerably higher. The brown area percentages
were much greater than the areas percentages observed in
Con- ference pear, from the first day of conservation
(Fig. 2).
A comparison of ineffective atmospheres and an effec-
tive atmosphere illustrates the potential of digital measure-
ment in distinguishing between varying degrees of brown-

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 Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

Several authors have used this method to evaluate enzy-

matic browning in minimally processed products. Yoruk
et al. [30] used it to evaluate the effectiveness of oxalic
acid as an anti-browning agent applied to minimally pro-
cessed bananas and apples. Rocculi et al. [28] used the
method to compare the influence of different non-conven-
tional atmospheres in enzymatic browning prevention in
minimally processed apples. Similarly, Zhou et al. [31] and
Cho and Moon [21], determined the acceptability and shelf
life of fresh cut lettuces using this method. Pace et al. [24]
used digital image analysis to assess quality and market-
ability of fresh cut nectarines, stored in air for 12 days at
5 °C. In addition to fresh cut products, this method has
been used in other types of commodities like bread. In this
case, Purlis and Salvadori [41], studied the development
of browning at bread surface during baking.

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 Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

AIR 21 % O2 + 10 % CO2
6,0 5,0 6,0 5,0
y = 0,0049x 2 + 0,231x +
5,0 0,9147 5,0
4,0 4,0
R² = 0,9922 y = -0,011x 2 + 0,351x +
4,0 4,0 1,105
3,0 R² = 0,9545 3,0
3,0 2 3,0
y = -0,0018x + 0,177x +
0,2147 2,0 2,0
2,0 R² = 2,0

Percent brown area

0,9687
1,0 1,0 1,0
1,0
y = 0,0067x 2 + 0,0369x +
Loss of quality

0,8312
0,0 0,0 0,0 R² = 0,7531 0,0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
16
Days of storage Days of storage
2 % O2 + 0 % CO2 2 % O2 + 10 % CO2
6,0 5,0 6,0 5,0
y = -0,022x 2 + 0,578x + 1,14
5,0 R² = 0,9578
4,0 5,0 y = -0,014x 2 + 0,406x + 4,0
1,08
4,0 4,0 R² = 0,9764
3,0 3,0
y = -0,0031x 2 + 0,2998x +
3,0 0,5195 3,0
R² = 2,0 2,0
2,0 0,9703 2,0
y = 0,015x 2 - 0,0144x +
0,6612
1,0 1,0 R² = 1,0
1,0
0,9969

0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
16 16
Days of storage Days of storage

Fig. 7 Regression equations for LOQ (filled square—solid line) and different atmospheres (21% O2 + 10% CO2, 2% O2 + 0% CO2, 2%
digital image analysis of browning (open square—broken line) and O2 + 10% CO2) during 14 days at 4 °C. The lines in the graphs are
their R2 coefficients of Decana del Comicio fresh cut pear stored in polynomial regressions

Correspondences of acceptance and cut pear browning corresponded well to days of storage,
browning to days of storage i.e. shelf life. The correlation coefficients between the
brown area percentage and the shelf life ranged from 0.867
Data obtained from the sensorial analysis were submitted to 0.978 for Conferencia and 0.753–0.997 for Decana
to mathematical analyses, with R2 values of 0.863–0.998 (Figs. 6, 7, respectively), very similar to those achieved
for Conferencia pear and of 0.955–0.977 for Decana pear in the sensory analysis.
(Figs. 6, 7, respectively). Mathematical analysis carried
out for both varieties showed that the progression of fresh Relationship between brown area percentage
and acceptance
Table 2 Pearson correlation coefficients between sensorial
analysis and digital measurement of percentage of brown area Correlation analyses (Pearson correlation coefficients) were
performed using brown area percentage data versus loss of
Pearson cor relation
quality data from individual trials. The data obtained are
Conference Decana del Comicio shown in Table 2. All the values of the correlation coef-
ficients for Conferencia are greater than 0.9 and for
AIR 0.962* 0.932*
0.936** 0.862**
Decana most values are greater than 0.8, indicating that
21% O2 + 10% CO2
0.977* 0.879**
fresh cut pear browning measured by digital image
2% O2 + 0% CO2
0.918** 0.814**
analysis is highly correlated to human visual evaluations.
2% O2 + 10% CO2

*p < 0.01
13
**p < 0.05 13
 Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

Using a LOQ cut-off point of 3, the limit between accept-

able and unacceptable quality, fresh cut pear stored in air
and
2% O2 + 0% CO2 was unacceptable at 8 days for
Conference

13 13
Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

Table 3 Shelf life of Conferencia and Decana del Comicio fresh cut pear, real and estimated determined by sensorial analysis and digital
image analysis of browning

Atmosphere Experimental data Estimation

Shelf life (days) Acceptance Browning (%) Shelf life (days) Acceptance Browning (%)

Conferencia
AIR 8b 3.2 1.53b 7.75b 3 1.47c
ATM1 14a 3.1 1.99a 14.07a 3 1.75ab
ATM2 8b 3.1 1.66b 8.01b 3 1.88a
ATM3 14a 3.2 1.81ab 13.99a 3 1.62b
Decana del Comicio
AIR 5b 4a 2.03a 3.5 3 1.71a
ATM1 10a 3.2b 1.27bc 3.7c 3 1.60ab
ATM2 5b 3.9a 1.61b 6.8a 3 1.40b
ATM3 5b 3b 1.06c 5.9b 3 1.10c

Different letters indicate significant differences between groups (p < 0.05). The values are mean with their standard deviation

pear and 5 days for Decana del Comicio, corresponding to scores (both Conference and Decana del Comicio fresh
1.53% and 1.66% and 2.03% and 1.61% browning cut pears), with the associated qualitative and colorimetric
revealed by digital analysis for Conferencia and Decana parameters. Digital image analysis allows assessing the
del Comicio stored in these atmospheres, respectively quality and marketability of fresh cut pear. Although its
(Table 3). The shelf life of both varieties was almost twice implementation in other pear cultivars or fruits requires
as long when samples were stored in CO2 enriched
atmospheres (Table 3). With the formula generated using
the experimental data of this study, it is predicted that the
fresh cut Conference pear shelf life at an LOQ limit of 3
would be 7.75, 14.07, 8.01 and 13.99 days, corresponding to
1.47%, 1.75%, 1.88% and 1.62% browning, for the
atmospheres AIR, ATM 1, ATM 2 and ATM 3, respec-
tively. For Decana, the shelf life estimation would be 3.5,
3.7,
6.8 and 5.9 days corresponding to 1.7%, 1.6%, 1.4% and
1.1%
browning, for the atmospheres AIR, ATM 1, ATM 2 and
ATM
3, respectively. In the case of Conferencia pear, these
predicted values are very close to actual readings in the
experiments. However, for Decana pear, the shelf life
estimated is not as close to the real shelf life, probably due
to its different sus- ceptibility to enzymatic browning
related to its higher initial chlorogenic acid concentration
[42, 43].

Conclusion

This paper proposes a descriptive rating scale for the

visual analysis of fresh cut pear that is a viable way to
estimate the appearance and marketability of this kind
of fruit. A significant correlation was observed between
digital image analysis measures and visual appearance

13 13
 Determination of acceptability and shelf life of fresh-cut pear by digital image E. Arias et al.
analysis

the development of individual equations such as the ones

presented here for Conferencia and Decana del Comicio
pear cultivars. These results sustain the design of an easy
and quick method to evaluate de quality of fresh cut fruit,
with special reference to marketability and edibility, at a
reasonable cost.

Acknowledgements This study was supported by the Spanish CICyT

(Project AGL 2001-1766) and MEC, through a research fellowship to
Esther Arias Álvarez.

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