Qualitative Analysis of Apple Fruit during Storage using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-destructive technique for determining the quality of fruits which, with different protocols, shows the density and structure of hydrogen atoms in the fruit in which it is placed. This study compared MRI images of healthy and bruised apple flesh tissues, both with and without pests, using various protocols to identify the best one. For this purpose, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using two protocols: T1 (Spin-lattice relaxation time) and T2 (Spin-spin relaxation time), was carried out on 200 apple fruits that were loaded during storage. The loading of fruits was performed at four levels: 150, 300, 450, and 600 N in a quasi-static manner, and then stored for periods of 25, 50, and 75 days at 4 °C. At the end of each storage period, imaging was carried out. Then, the contrast of T1 and T2 images of healthy and bruised tissue of apple fruit with and without pests using ImageJ software was determined. It was concluded that the healthy tissue of apple fruit without pests was clearer in T1 images than in T2 images. It has also been seen that the bruised area of fruits without pests in T2 images is more recognizable than in T1 images.