Dina Research School

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Quantitative microscopy by use of image analysis

Helle Juel Martens

Blanching, freezing and storage have significant effects on vegetable cell structure. In the food processing industry one aim is to improve the textural quality of preprocessed vegetables (i.e. maintain the crispness of carrots or avoid toughening of asparagus). The mechanical measurements of vegetable texture are sometimes difficult to interprete. Also they do not always correlate very well with chemical and sensory analyses.

Examination of the tissue in a microscope can enhance the understanding of a products textural quality. Thus anatomy has often been involved in studies of textural changes during storage or processing, but mainly as a qualitative and often time-consuming analysis. There is a need for developing faster and more quantificable methods in plant anatomy.

In this project the microstructure of fresh, stored or processed carrots is evaluated by use of traditional, qualitative light and scanning electron microscopy. A method is then being developed for quantification of anatomical features (like cell shape or size of intercellular spaces) by use of image analysis coupled with light microscopy. The results are sought correlated with mechanical measurements of the textural quality.

Dina ruler

Dina logoAuthor: phd@dina.kvl.dk. Updated: 20 November 1997