Modeling pigment contributions to spectral reflection of apple fruit

Abstract

A simple approach for spectral reconstruction of spectral reflection by whole apple fruit is described. It is shown that an approximation to the reflection spectrum can be obtained by making a simple assumption on the shape of the featureless scattering and using known spectral properties of the following pigment pools: (i) thylakoid-bound chlorophylls and carotenoids, (ii) cuticular/vacuolar phenolics, (iii) extrathylakoid chloroplasts/chromoplasts carotenoids, and (iv) vacuolar anthocyanins. The in vivo spectra of individual pigment pools estimated in bleaching experiments or as a difference between fruit with high and low pigment content are presented. In most cases simulations based on a linear combination of spectra proved to be effective, but fruit with high chlorophyll content necessitated the use of a non-linear model. The models succeeded in simulating reflection spectra of fruit widely differing in pigment content and composition with relative error lower than ±4% over the visible range. The estimated relative contributions by the pigment pools into total reflection were found to be sensitive indicators of apple fruit ripening and could be useful in evaluating the light screening efficacy by flavonoids and carotenoids under stress conditions.