Nondestructive Quality Evaluation From a Horticulturist's Point of View

J Food Prot. 1978 Jan;41(1):63-66. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X-41.1.63.

Abstract

Application of nondestructive sorting of fruits can be direct or indirect. Direct applications involve mainly objective means of establishing grades and quality of fruits and vegetables, as well as use of light-sorting and other nondestructive means for determining when a crop should be harvested or whether it should be marketed fresh or processed immediately. Indirect applications might be termed "research" usage of nondestructive sorting. Plant breeders would find nondestructive techniques useful for rapidly evaluating quality characteristics during the development of high quality cultivars. Physiologists could utilize it to rapidly determine the effects of treatments upon the quality of the commodity. Examples of development of techniques of light-sorting of blueberries and grapes for ripeness are discussed.