Non destructive Quality Evaluation of dragon fruit using ultrasound method

Abstract

In Indonesia, the quality of dragon fruit is still commonly determined manually by using visual appearances. This method is objected to inconsistency measurement caused by human errors that will result un-uniformity quality qualification and also it is unable to measure internal quality of the fruits. Destructive method is commonly used to determine internal quality of dragon fruit, but it is un-applicable for controlling the quality of fresh dragon fruit. So, non destructive method is required for evaluation the quality of dragon fruit. The objectives of the research were to determine the physicochemical and ultrasound wave transmission characteristics of super red dragon fruit in three maturities and to study the relationship between ultrasound wave transmission characteristics and physicochemical characteristics of super red dragon fruit. Super-red dragon fruits were harvested at 30, 32, and 34 days after flower blooms (AFB). The results showed that the ultrasound velocity of super red dragon fruit ranged from 614,10 to 680,58 meter per second and the attenuation coefficient was 57,71 to 62,22 Neper per meter. The attenuation coefficient was significantly different in three maturities. There were significant correlations between ultrasound parameters, (i.e. velocity and attenuation coefficient) and physicochemical (i.e. firmness, sugar content, total soluble solid, and total acid) of super red dragon fruit.