Determination of maize hardness by biospeckle and fuzzy granularity

Abstract

In recent years there has been renewed interest in the development of novel grain classification methods that could complement traditional empirical tests. A speckle pattern occurs when a laser beam illuminates an optically rough surface that flickers when the object is active and is called biospeckle. In this work, we use laser biospeckle to classify maize (Zea mays L.) kernel hardness. A series of grains of three types of maize were cut and illuminated by a laser. A series of images were then registered, stored, and processed. These were compared with results obtained by floating test. The laser speckle technique was effective in discriminating the grains based on the presence of floury or vitreous endosperm and could be considered a feasible alternative to traditional floating methods. The results indicate that this methodology can distinguish floury and vitreous grains. Moreover, the assay showed higher discrimination capability than traditional tests. It could be potentially useful for maize classification and to increase the efficiency of processing dry milling corn.

A high-throughput X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) approach for measuring single kernel maize ( Zea mays L.) volumes and densities

“…Also the mean VEV for the good milling hybrids (199.70 mm 3 ) was significantly (P < 0.01) larger than that of the poor milling hybrids (123.23 mm 3 ), whereas the mean FEV for the good milling hybrids (78.88 mm 3 ) was significantly (P < 0.01) smaller than that of the poor milling hybrids (101.91 mm 3 ). These results agreed with the higher proportion of vitreous endosperm found in good milling kernels (Weber et al, 2014). Similar results were obtained when Erasmus and Taylor (2004), after analysing 245 white maize kernels specifically bred for milling purposes using image analysis, found the endosperm percentages to vary between 46.3% and 63.7% (dry mass of vitreous endosperm divided by dry mass of whole kernel).…”

Physical properties of kernels from modern maize hybrids used in Croatia

“…The majority of hybrids tested in the present study had flotation index over 56%, and according to Weber et al (2014), they are members of dent-type hybrids. The higher proportion of floating kernels implies lower hardness, vitreousness and breakage susceptibility (Peplinski et al 1992;Gaytán-Martínez et al 2006;Blandino et al 2010) and thus less nutritional value for poultry and pigs.…”

Fuzzy Modeling Development for Lettuce Plants Irrigated with Magnetically Treated Water

“…Polat et al [76] found that the application of fuzzy logic allowed them to determine more precisely the areas with contamination risks. Weber et al [77] observed that the fuzzy model applied to the determination of corn hardness yielded results that are more accurate.…”