Critical Comparison of an Accelerometer and a Laser Doppler Vibrometer for Measuring Fruit Firmness

Abstract

To examine the feasibility of using a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) for fruit quality evaluation, measurements of firmness derived by this method were compared with those acquired using a contact accelerometer. Apples (Malus pumila Miller var. Domestica Schneider `Fuji'), kiwifruit [Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.) Liang et Ferguson, `Hayward'], Japanese pear [Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm. f.) Nakai var. Rehd. `Nijusseiki'], and Hassaku (Citrus hassaku Hort. ex Tanaka) were used. Fruit were subjected to sine waves at frequencies from 5 to 2000 Hz at the basal surface, and the vibrations resulting from these transmissions were precisely montitored at the upper surface with a LDV monitor. Measurements on all of the tested single fruit exhibited a distinct phase shift in the applied sine wave and in the responance frequency, dependent on frequency used. These shifts were also detected by an accelerometer, but in this case the range of frequency was restricted to an upper limit of 400 Hz for kiwifruit and 800 Hz for Japanese pear and Hassaku. Efforts to extend the range using a greater vibrational mass with the accelerometer resulted in anomalous tissue behavior, most likely due to excesive compression when the weight exceeded 1 g. Hence firmness measurements of fruit depended on the phase shift and resonance frequency, which were achieved with more precision by LDV than accelerometer. Since LDV measurements of fruit firmness were made without directly contacting the fruit surface, it could be potentially used for on-line quality evaluation and fruit sorting.