NONDESTRUCTIVE DETECTION OF SECTION DRYING, AN INTERNAL DISORDER IN TANGERINE

Near infrared (NIR) absorption spectrometry and X-ray computed tomogra phy (CT) were used to nondestructively determine the presence of secti on drying, an internal disorder in tangerines (Citrus reticulata Blanc o, cv. Dancy). X-ray CT scan images clearly differentiated areas with section drying from healthy sections of the fruit. Delineation was due to differences in X-ray absorption resulting from lower tissue densit y and water content in vesicles having the disorder. Second derivative NIR optical density values at 768 and 960 nm correlated strongly with the presence or absence of section drying, indicating that NIR optica l properties of vesicles with section drying differed from those witho ut the disorder. These results suggest that, compared with X-ray-based techniques, NIR absorption spectroscopy could be a less expensive, sa fe, and rapid method for the nondestructive sensing of section drying in citrus fruit.