Non-destructive determination of β-carotene content in mango by near-infrared spectroscopy compared with colorimetric measurements

Non-destructive applications for the detection of food quality, especially internal properties, are highly relevant for process control in the food industry. In this respect, colour measurement and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) were evaluated and compared for their ability to predict beta-carotene content in mango cv. 'Nam Dokmai'. Colorimetric analysis of peel and flesh colour as well as NIR measurements in the short- (700-1100 nm) and long-wave regions (1000-2500 nm) were analysed for prediction ability. It was found that beta-carotene content could be estimated by multiple linear regression (MLR) models developed from b* and hue angle (h degrees) values of the flesh with good results for coefficient of determination (R-2) and standard errors of cross validation (SECV) of 0.941 and 10.2 retinol equivalents (RE) 100 g(-1) edible part (EP), respectively, while peel colour showed poor results. However, flesh colour measurement is a destructive method. NIRS calibration showed good results with R-2 > 0.800 and standard error of prediction (SEP) 11.642-20.2 RE 100 g(-1) EP. Long-wave NIR provided better prediction ability than short-wave. From these results, NIRS can be recommended for non-destructive and reliable determination of beta-carotene content in mango. The results have implications for quality control in the industrial handling and processing of fruits. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.