Abundance of variety of fruits is produced in most parts of the tropical countries. However, facilities for effective storage of these fruit are not readily available making them appear edible on the surface but in most casesthe quality of their tissue and juice indicatesthat they are internally defective. Present procedures for assessing fruit quality are X-ray, impedance, image analysis, laser spectroscopy, sonic, ultrasonic and reflectance spectroscopy but to date no further applications are known that have takenunique advantages of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This study, applied Magnetic resonance imagingas an effective non-destructive technique to determine the internal quality of selected tropical fruits. In this thesis, two types of tropical fruits, namely oranges and banana are considered for theirinternal tissue evaluation. Collected data using MRI equipment were Fourier transformed to obtain related MR images once the K-space has been fully assembled. The MRimages of fruit obtained from proposed image processing methods were used as features to recognize their internal quality. The variances determined and features obtained were applied to the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) code developed in MATLAB using fruit MRI intensity features as inputs. The obtained results have shown that the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm (LM)with Mean Square Error (MSE) and R-value of0.0814and0.9379for Orange and 0.0693 and 0.9989 for Banana fruit respectivelyproduced the best performance fitness for the assessment of internal quality of the fruits. These support the view that a combination of ANN and MRI hasthe capability of identifying the defect as well as being able to perform better than other non-destructive techniques.

This research work plays an important role in transforming current conventional methodology in fruit quality definition and evaluation into scientific and technological objectives and implementation. Conventional definition in evaluating fruit quality is based on its physical attributes such as colour, size, shape and percentage of physical defects. While the conventional practice is dominating fruit industry, the efforts to transform this conventional definition towards a more valuable and scientific interpretation has been put forth by various research groups worldwide. For every presented variable, evaluating or quantifying methodologies will be introduced and promoted by scientific societies. Similarly to fruit quality evaluation, several methodologies have been introduced, based on its physical or intrinsic definition. Despite many efforts that have been carried out in this research area, gaps still exist for the new research to take place especially in the area related to development of low cost measuring system, miniature and mobile system, online monitoring system with rapid time of measurement and high accuracy and precision measurement algorithm. Hence, this book is written particularly to explore the ability of visible and near infrared spectroscopy in quantitatively determining fruit intrinsic qualities with in-depth case studies on two prominent tropical fruits, Sala mango and B10 carambola.

This book gathers selected papers presented at the Inventive Communication and Computational Technologies conference (ICICCT 2019), held on 29–30 April 2019 at Gnanamani College of Technology, Tamil Nadu, India. The respective contributions highlight recent research efforts and advances in a new paradigm called ISMAC (IoT in Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud contexts). Topics covered include the Internet of Things, Social Networks, Mobile Communications, Big Data Analytics, Bio-inspired Computing and Cloud Computing. The book is chiefly intended for academics and practitioners working to resolve practical issues in this area.

Tropical Fruit Processing focuses on the improved food preservations methods of tropical fruits for lesser developed and developed countries. This book covers four tropical fruits, namely, guava, mango, papaya, and passion fruit. These fruits have the greatest growth potential based on the knowledge and technology acquired in their cultivation, processing, and preservation. Each chapter in this book discusses the botany, cultivars, horticulture, harvesting, handling, storage, composition, packing, and processing of the fruit. A variety of processed products from these fruits, such as jellies, jams, preserves, purees, sauces, and juices, are also covered. Furthermore, this book describes various food preservation methods including dehydration, concentration, and canning. This book is an invaluable resource for scientists, technologists, manufacturers, students, and others concerned with cultivating, processing, manufacturing, research, development, or marketing of foods.

This second edition of the successful ready reference is updated and revised with approximately 30% new content to reflect the numerous instrumental developments and improvements, as well as the significant expansion of this rapidly developing field. For example, the combination of IR imaging with AFM has enhanced the achievable lateral resolution by an order of magnitude down to a few hundred nanometers, thus launching a multiplicity of new applications in material science. Furthermore, Raman and IR spectroscopic imaging have become key technologies for the life sciences and today contribute tremendously to a better and more detailed understanding of numerous biological and medical research topics. The topical structure of this new edition is now subdivided into four parts. The first treats the fundamentals of the instrumentation for infrared and Raman imaging and mapping and an overview on the chemometric tools for image analysis. The second part describes a wide varie-ty of applications ranging from biomedical via food, agriculture and plants to polymers and pharmaceuticals. This is followed by a description of imaging techniques operating beyond the diffraction limit, while the final part covers special methodical developments and their utility in specific fields. With its many valuable practical tips, this is a must-have overview for researchers in academic and industrial laboratories wishing to obtain reliable results with this method.

Consideration of the interactions between decisions made at one point in the supply chain and its effects on the subsequent stages is the core concept of a systems approach. Postharvest Handling is unique in its application of this systems approach to the handling of fruits and vegetables, exploring multiple aspects of this important process through chapters written by experts from a variety of backgrounds.Newly updated and revised, this second edition includes coverage of the logistics of fresh produce from multiple perspectives, postharvest handing under varying weather conditions, quality control, changes in consumer eating habits and other factors key to successful postharvest handling.The ideal book for understanding the economic as well as physical impacts of postharvest handling decisions.Key Features:*Features contributions from leading experts providing a variety of perspectives*Updated with 12 new chapters*Focuses on application-based information for practical implementation*System approach is unique in the handling of fruits and vegetables

The Opuntia fruits, commonly known as cactus pears or prickly pears, have been suggested by the Food and Agriculture Organization to be a promising and strategic crop in regions suffering from lack of water. In Mexico, India, South Africa, and the Mediterranean, the Opuntia fruits have become popular due to their nutritive value and health-promoting benefits, including antioxidant, antiulcerogenic and antiatherogenic traits and protective effects against LDL oxidation. Additionally, readily absorbable sugars, high vitamin C and mineral content, and a pleasant flavour make Opuntia tailor-made for novel foods. Due to their ecological advantages, high functional value, and health-related traits, Opuntia fruits can be highly exploited in different food processing applications. For instance, Opuntia cactus fruits are used for the preparation of juices and marmalades; Opuntia cactus plants are used to feed animals in African and Latin American countries; Peruvian farmers cultivate Opuntia cactus for growing the cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) insect and producing the natural dye carmine; and the commercial production of food and non-food products from Opuntia has been established in Mexico, USA and several Mediterranean countries. Opuntia spp.: Chemistry, Bioactivity and Industrial Applications creates a multidisciplinary forum of discussion on Opuntia cactus with special emphasis on its horticulture, post-harvest, marketability, chemistry, functionality, health-promoting properties, technology and processing. The text includes detailed discussion of the impact of traditional and innovative processing on the recovery of high-added value compounds from Opuntia spp. by-products. Later chapters explore the potential applications of Opuntia spp. in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products.