Non-destructive estimation of pomegranate juice content of intact fruit using X-ray computed tomography

Physico-chemical properties of pomegranate fruit, such as the volume of arils and juice content, are of considerable economic importance for the plant breeding, growing and food processing industries. In this study, a commercial microfocus X-ray (μCT) system was used in combination with image analysis as a non-destructive technique to estimate the volume of juice from intact pomegranate fruit 'Wonderful'. Optimum μCT settings were obtained using an isotropic voxel size of 71.4 μm based on a radiation source generated from a voltage of 100 kV with the electric current set at 200 μA. Characterization and segmentation of pomegranate arils and juice volume were achieved using StudioMax volume graphics software. The calculated juice volume (142.7±16.4 mL) constituted 89.8% of the total aril volume (162.5±16.2 mL). The destructive measurement showed similar results to non-destructive data with a juice content of 146.1±16.3 mL per fruit which was equivalent to 87.4% of the total aril volume (163.3±15.24 mL). No significant differences were observed between the X-ray CT predicted values and actual measurements. This study has demonstrated the potential commercial application of X-ray μCT and image analysis to estimate the juice content of pomegranate fruit.