Optical chlorophyll sensing system for banana ripening

An optical chlorophyll sensing system was developed to detect the chlorophyll content of bananas as the fruit ripens. This system shows a high correlation to other peel colour analysis methods (spectral analysis, tristimulus colorimeter analysis, and visual colour matching). Regression equations were developed to predict the chlorophyll content of banana peels, which is primarily responsible for the change in the colour of the peel. This optical chlorophyll sensing system has the following characteristics: rapid response, simple operation, non-destructive measurement, and low cost. The potential application of this system in automatic monitoring of banana ripening is also discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.