Preliminary study to determine the phenolic maturity stage of grape seeds by computer vision

The applications of computer vision technology for acquiring and analysing images have been extended to the quality evaluation in food industry. This technique involves great advantages for the objective, rapid, non-contact and automated quality inspection and control. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of the computer vision to determine the phenolic maturity stage of grape seeds. Up to 21 phenolic compounds were determined by HPLC-DAD-MS in order to obtain reference values to develop the model. The CIELAB parameters, area, aspect, roundness, length, width and heterogeneity of seeds were analysed using a DigiEye (R) system. The technique reported in this work can be a good and rapid tool for taking decisions at harvest time. Notwithstanding, a comprehensive study should be made in order to develop more robust models. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.