Lecture Description
Coffee professionals care deeply about the size and color of their coffee beans, but current methods of quantifying size and color are expensive and laborious. Here we provide a rigorous assessment of the feasibility of using the camera on a modern smart phone to rapidly quantify the size and color distributions of a sample of coffee beans. We used digital calipers to measure the width and length, and a handheld colorimeter to measure the precise color, of more than two thousand (>2000) individual coffee beans. We also used a smart phone to image these same beans under various lighting conditions when they were placed on a "photosheet" printed with size bars and color patches that serve as fiducials for calibration. We demonstrate that size is measured with accuracy of plus or minus 2%, and that color is measured with high accuracy that varies depending on the quality of the lighting conditions. We discuss the potential for using smart phones as a convenient tool for rapid quantification of the physical properties of coffee.
Date: Sunday, April 14, 2024
Time: 10:15am - 11:15am
Room Number: N426AB
Speakers
Alice Dien
Ph.D. Candidate in Biological Systems Engineering, University of California, Davis
Alice Dien is a Ph.D. candidate in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of California, Davis, focusing on postharvest technology and engineering. Her primary research topic is designing energy-efficient drying equipment for agricultural commodities. In September 2022, Alice joined the UC Davis Coffee Center team; since then, she has been researching photographic techniques for coffee quality assessment.
Drawing on her engineering background and a dedicated interest in international agricultural development, she collaborates with global community partners on projects that address interdisciplinary education challenges and global engineering issues. Alice's project portfolio includes contributions to sustainable agriculture, post-harvest handling, energy efficiency, and off-grid power solutions.