Texture and color analysis of freeze-dried potato (<i>cv. Spunta</i>) using instrumental and image analysis techniques

Abstract

Most typical approaches for measuring color and texture properties are time consuming. An image-based method was used to evaluate the texture and color in freeze-dried potatoes. Microstructure of cooked, cooked freeze-dried and rehydrated potatoes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Texture properties were analyzed by a texture analyzer and image analysis. Color was determined with a spectrocolorimeter and a digital camera. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were obtained for cooked and cooked freeze-dried rehydrated potatoes. A linear trend was applied for instrumental and image features for texture and color values. Results showed that texture features of images, such as contrast, entropy, energy, and homogeneity (calculated from grey level co-occurrence matrix), showed correlations with instrumental texture features, such as hardness, adhesiveness, chewiness, cohesiveness, and resilience. Similar results were also obtained for color features. This study showed that image processing techniques could be applied as a useful tool to analyze quality in potatoes.