Visual cues on food freshness perception: How luminance influences the freshness perception of vegetables

Freshness perception is a quality discrimination process used frequently in food selection. Several of the most relevant sensory attributes influencing consumer perception of freshness are related with vision. To investigate which visual cues command the freshness perception in vegetables, we took digital pictures of the freshness degradation process of cabbages and strawberries in a controlled environment. In the first experiment, we randomly presented those pictures to subjects who had to rate their perceived freshness using a visual analogue scale. The results of the freshness perception were highly correlated with statistical features of the luminance distribution in the images. In the second experiment, we manipulated the original images only by modifying their luminance distribution and keeping intact their colour information. When we presented the resulting images, using the same psychophysical experiment setting, the subject’s results showed that the perceived freshness also changed concordantly with the changes of the luminance distribution. These results support the hypothesis that the freshness perception of vegetables is highly influenced by the luminance distribution in that food texture. Although pattern cues should also be considered for definitive understanding of the human visual mechanism for freshness perception, these findings can help design implementations of automatic food freshness estimators.

Arce-Lopera, C. A., Masuda, T., Wada, Y., Dan, I., Kimura, A., Okajima, K. (2009). Visual cues on food freshness perception: How luminance influences the freshness perception of vegetables (vol. 38). Perception.

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