METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NONDESTRUCTIVELY MEASURING DEGREE OF SACCHARIC ACID OF FRUIT

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a measuring method whereby a degree of sugar and a degree of acid corresponding to actual degrees of sugar and acid of a fruit, e.g. an orange can be displayed simply and correctly by passing/scattering a near infrared light.;SOLUTION: According to this method, a ratio (a) of a λ 2 nm light absorption intensity with respect to a λ 1 nm light absorption intensity and a ratio (b) of a λ 4 nm light absorption intensity with respect to a λ 3 nm light absorption intensity for the fruit, e.g. the orange are preliminarily displayed as a distribution A and a distribution B respectively on a plane in which the degree of sugar and the degree of acid of the fruit measured by a saccharic acid meter are made two axes. Then, the fruit as a specimen, e.g. the orange is measured to obtain the ratio (a) and the ratio (b), and the ratios are plotted on the distribution A and the distribution B respectively. As a result, one curve of equal values of the ratio (a) can be drawn on the distribution A, and similarly one curve of equal values of the ratio (b) can be drawn on the distribution B. The sugar content and the degree of acid are specified from an intersection of the two curves corresponding to the ratios (a) and (b).;COPYRIGHT: (C)2002,JPO