Determination of Ripening Stages and Nutritional Content of Tomatoes Using Color Space Conversion Algorithm, Processed Through Raspberry Pi

The maturity of a tomato has six ripening stages: Breaker, Turning, Pink, Light Red, and Red. The color of a tomato can be represented through different color spaces. In this paper, the researchers focused on converting the picture of the tomato in RGB color space to L*a*b* color space. The a* value was used to determine the ripening stage of the tomato because the a* value determines the redness and the greenness of a color. The device named a*utomato determined the ripening stages and nutritional content of tomatoes using color space conversion algorithm., Processed through raspberry pi using OpenCV, two sides of the tomato was captured by using a rotating platform and a camera, then the a* value of the two images was averaged to determine the a* value, and finally, its ripening stage. Results of the tests showed that the a*utomato can infer the potassium and fiber levels of the tomato as it progresses through succeeding ripening stages. The a*utomato is an effective device in determining the ripening stages and the, potassium and fiber levels since statistical analyses of the a* values of actual tomatoes posed no significant difference with the standard color shade of the tomato per stage. Recommendation for future studies include incorporation of other nutritional contents of the tomato, and quality control parameters such as shelf-life.