ANALYSIS OF BROWNING OF BROILED FOODS BY NONCONTACT TECHNIQUES: A CASE STUDY FOR JAPANESE EGGPLANT (SOLANUM MELONGENA)

摘要

This study aimed to develop and validate a novel method to analyze the browning behavior of foods during the broiling process by using the combined method of infrared thermography (IRT) and a kinetic browning model. Results were validated with estimated color by using computer vision system (CVS). Surface temperature distribution was captured using an IRT camera. To improve accuracy, temperature was corrected using an effective estimation of sample surface reflection, and the results were used to estimate the Lxaxb color distribution with the kinetic browning model. Cylindrical slices of eggplant were broiled up to 20 min. Broiling experiments were performed using a far-infrared apparatus. Our results showed the potential of the combined method as a browning monitoring tool over traditional methods and CVS. Browning behavior, as evaluated by microstructural analysis, showed that the nonhomogeneous browning distribution of eggplant can be explained by the structural changes induced during broiling.