Firmness Prediction of the Apple Using Capacitance Measurement

Measurement of fruit firmness is tedious and complicated job. This is certainly true, for most fruits whose colour have no direct correlation with its level of firmness, maturity or ripeness. The firmness of fruit can be determined by human by its own perception and skills, however for larger quantity inspection, this method is beyond practical. Therefore, accurate automatic classification for fruit firmness may be advantageous for the agriculture industry, consumers in supermarkets.This paper describes variant methods used for this purpose and the method which is proposed to enhance the measuring techniques. Feasibility study been conducted for non-destructive fruit firmness based on capacitive properties measurement methods using parallel-plate capacitor. This method is used to determine firmness of fruit using dielectrics of apple. This measuring technique is beneficial because it does not destroy the texture and the nutrient of the fruit.