Prediction of Soluble Solid and Firmness in Apple by Reflectance Spectroscopy

The objectives of this study were to examine the ability to predict soluble solid and firmness in intact apple based on the visible/near-infrared spectroscopic technique. Two cultivars of apples, Delicious and Gala, were handled, tested and analyzed. Reflectance spectra, Magness-Taylor (MT) Firmness, and soluble solids in apples were measured sequentially. Maximum and minimum diameters, height, and weight of apples were recorded before the MT firmness tests. Apple samples were divided in to a calibration set and a validation set. The method of partial least squares (PLS) analysis was used. a unique set of PLS loading vectors (factors) was development for soluble solid and firmness. The PLS model showed good relationship between predicted and measured soluble solids in intact apples in the wavelength range of 860∼1078 nm. However, the PLS analysis was not good enough to predict the apple firmness.