Horticultural Engineering

Sensor technology

Measurements of pressure distributions

Measurement of pressure distribution on produce surface during mechanical loading by using a flexible thin-film sensor with pressure sensitive matrix (44 x 44 pixels)

Parallel measurements of force and pressure distribution during mechanical loading with universal testing machine	Measurement of pressure distribution due to water jet from washing nozzles

Schematic view on design of the thin-film sensor

VIS/NIR Spectral optical measurements

Measurement of spectral signature of horticultural products by using a miniaturized monolithic spectrometer module with glass-fibre probe

Laboratory spectrometer with fibre probe for diffuse reflectance (integrating sphere)	Field spectrometer with wireless data transfer and fibre probe for partial transmittance

Cooperation with professional associations and SME’s

Sensor probe for partial transmission on bulb onion	Pigment-Analyzer

Fluorescence spectrometry

Fluorescence spectroscopic analyses of fresh and processed food (e.g. fruits and vegetables, fruit juice, meat, milk)


Fluorescence spectrometer with adjustable excitation and emission wavelength ranges	Technical setup for spectral fluorescence measurements in „front-face“ mode

Time-resolved fluorescence spectrometry

Studies are aimed at analysing characteristic fruit compounds in intact fruit and determining e.g. tissue browning in sliced fruit, which is a severely negative aesthetic trait, using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectrometry.

The LIF can be triggered by excitation with a nitrogen or a colour laser	Schematic view on the experimental set-up for measuring LIF

Electro-chemical gas sensors

Sensor systems are evaluated with respect to their capability for determining maturity and microbe contamination of fruit.

Experimental set-up of multi-gas analysis	Comparison of electro-chemical sensors (electronic noses) using different measuring principles

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