Development of a low‐cost food color monitoring system

Abstract

The colorimetric analysis of food has gained much popularity in the last few decades. The present study reports the development of a low‐cost food color quality testing and process monitoring system. The proposed device consists of a hardware and a software (Color Magic) combination, which may allow the hardware to be used either for quality testing or process monitoring applications. In the quality‐testing mode, the software captures the image of the food products through the imaging system. Subsequently, the software processes the acquired image and computes color parameters in RGB (red, green, blue), CIELAB, and HSI (hue, saturation, intensity) color spaces. The software also synthesizes and displays the perceived color information in the display panel. The datalog of the sample color information can be sent to the user. Further, a separate software (Color Process), which is installed in a central server, was developed to implement a wireless star network topology for multi‐node process monitoring. The “Color Process” software allows users to acquire color information from multiple hardware. The software monitors the Hue from all the devices. It alerts the user via email if the Hue is beyond the range in any of the nodes. Finally, the device was tested for quality testing and process monitoring applications using colored placards and apple slices. The implementation of the wireless sensor network (WSN) in designing the multi‐node process monitoring makes the proposed device a unique system. This further would allow the device to be used for process monitoring at multiple remote locations.

Effect of Biodegradable Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Emulsifiers on the Oleogels Containing Sunflower Wax and Sunflower Oil

“…Formulation T10 showed the highest K d value, which was even higher than the control, suggesting a dominance of diffusional mechanism in this case. The higher values of K d than K r (or K d /K r > 1) in all the formulations indicated the importance of diffusional contribution towards the curcumin release from the SFW-based oleogels [ 79 ].…”

“…Colorimetric analysis of the oleogels was done with a lab-developed colorimeter. The hardware of the colorimeter device consists of a light-emitting diode (LED) as a light source and Picam for imaging purposes [ 79 ]. The instrument was calibrated before the experiment with the standard white and black tiles.…”

Variations in Microstructural and Physicochemical Properties of Candelilla Wax/Rice Bran Oil–Derived Oleogels Using Sunflower Lecithin and Soya Lecithin

“…The color measurement of the prepared oleogel was performed with an in-house build colorimeter device. A comprehensive explanation of the hardware of the device has been provided [ 68 ]. Initially, calibration of the sensor was performed by using black and white standard placards.…”

IoT and Raspberry Pi application in the food industry: a systematic review

“…The proposal improves the process efficiency providing data about availability and productivity of industrial machinery. Jain et al, (2020) developed a sensor network system of low cost for monitoring quality tests of food dye. The proposed device consists in a combination of hardware and software (Color Magic), allowing that the hardware could be used both for quality testing and process monitoring applications.…”

“…(Herrero et al, 2020) Monitoring the quality of processes. (Jain et al, 2020) Operational control for improvement in terms of freshness, safety, waste reduction, and improvement of the logistics efficiency of food products on an online platform. (Pal & Kant, 2020) Greater productive efficiency and reduced water and electricity consumption.…”