Local agri innovation

Pakistani scientists have come up with a new method of gauging the sweetness of citrus fruits using artificial intelligence (AI), which could be a game changer for the global market if the accuracy can be replicated in broader trials. The team, led by National University of Sciences and Technology’s (NUST) Dr Ayesha Zeb, included four other scientists affiliated with NUST, and one each from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; Technological University Dublin; and Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah. The research has been published in the top international scientific journal Nature and relies on near-infrared spectroscopy, which is a method of bouncing light off a fruit to determine its sweetness. The approach in itself is not new, but the research team came up with a way for artificial intelligence to predict sweetness and classify fruit with 80% accuracy, without damaging any of the examined fruit. For context, the research says this is higher than most traditional methods of measuring fruit sweetness — the only more accurate way to do so is to bite in and taste the fruit, but that option would make it unsellable.

While the research focused on output from a single farm in Chakwal, it did incorporate 92 fruit varieties, showing that the set-up can be quite expansive and thus, more diverse in its utility. This is because oranges — the most popular citrus fruit — only ripen on the branch. Unlike bananas and mangoes, the fruit cannot be picked early and allowed to ripen on its way to the market or in consumers’ homes. They must be picked at the perfect time to maximise sellability and flavour, which becomes even more important for exports, as that crop usually takes longer to reach supermarkets and fruit stands in destination countries. Optimised picking will increase profitability by improving quality, while also reducing losses due to spoilage. While further testing has not been announced, we still hope to begin seeing — and tasting— the proverbial fruits of the scientists’ labour soon.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2023.

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