Non-Destructive Determination of Quality Traits of Cashew Apples (Anacardium Occidentale, L.) Using a Portable near Infrared Spectrophotometer

The prediction of cashew apple quality by non-destructive analysis using a portable (100 g), near infrared spectrophotometer has been investigated. The quality parameters of interest were: soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), SSC/TA ratio and ascorbic acid (AA). Partial least squares calibration models were developed using the spectral range from 950 nm to 1600 nm available with the portable spectrophotometer, with a spectral resolution of 10 nm. The model was validated using an independent set of samples. Validation results gave root mean square error of prediction values of 0.6%, 0.04%, 2.7 and 27 mg 100 mL−1 for SSC, TA, SSC/TA and AA, respectively. According to the results, this highly portable spectrometer can be used to monitor and control cashew apple postharvest quality, and may constitute an important tool for genome wide selection in cashew breeding programmes.