Prediction of sensory texture quality attributes of cooked potatoes by NMR-imaging (MRI) of raw potatoes in combination with different image analysis methods

Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR-imaging), the so-called magnetic resonance imaging (MR-imaging), was performed on five potato varieties stored at 4 degreesC and 95% relative humidity for two and eight months, respectively. An image analysis on the obtained data and subsequent sensory analysis of the cooked potatoes displayed the high potential of employing advanced image analysis on MR-imaging data from raw potatoes to predict sensory attributes related to the texture of cooked potatoes. In contrast MR-imaging data were not found to correlate with specific gravity of the potatoes even though this parameter is normally found to correlate with the sensory texture quality of cooked potatoes. We suggest that this imply that MR-imaging beside giving well-known information about water distribution also gives information about anatomic structures within raw potatoes, which are of importance for the perceived textural properties of the cooked potatoes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.