Evaluation of Internal and External Starch Changes in Apples Using Hyper-Spectral Analyses in the NIR-SWIR

Starch Pattern Index (SPI) is one of the most common parameters used to determine the degree of ripeness of fruits. To predict the degree of ripeness, SPI is combined with chemometric analysis. Nevertheless, the spectral correlation between external and internal starch changes has not been evaluated. This study evaluates the internal and external changes of starch in Gala apples during the 2024 season by covering the near-infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral ranges from 700nm to 2300nm. The evaluation consisted of a multispectral NIR-SWIR camera analysis and spectral measurements along the surface. Results revealed a pattern on the apple cortex similar to SPI without the use of iodine implementation of a false negative RGB image. Furthermore, the different SPIs were also distinguished by the spectral measurements along the surface, allowing a correlation in both instances with the same phenomenon.