Normalized integral fourier transform amplitude for food quality determination by acoustic impulse response method

The research has been conducted with the goal of determining the shelf-life of post harvested tomatoes by implementing the non-destructive physical method of acoustic impulse response. Normalized integral Fourier transform amplitude has been introduced for enhancing the precision of shelf life determination in comparison to the use of the well-known firmness parameter F_i. The firmness coefficient F_i has been calculated on the basis of the dominant (fundamental) frequency of tomato response signal f and sample mass m. The Fast-Fourier transform algorithm has been used on the acoustical time dependent electrical signals taken from an acoustical sensor attached to the product under investigation, thus allowing the frequency dependent Fourier transform to be found. (author)