This thesis describes the design, fabrication, and testing process for a microfluidic phosphate colorimeter utilized for water quality analysis. The device can be powered by, and interfaced for data collection with, a common cell phone or laptop to dramatically reduce costs. Unlike commercially available colorimeters, this device does not require the user to measure or mix sample and reagent. A disposable poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluid chip, powered by an absorption pumping mechanism, was used to draw water samples, mix the sample at a specific ratio with a molybdovanadate reagent, and load both fluids into an onboard cuvette for colorimetric analysis. A series of capillary retention valves, channels, and diffusion pumping surfaces passively controls the microfluidic chip so that no user input is required. The microfluidic chip was fabricated using a modified SU-8 soft lithography process to produce a 1.67mm light absorbance pathlength for optimal Beer Lambert Law color absorbance. Preliminary calibration curves for the device produced from standard phosphate solutions indicate a range of detection between 5 to 30mg/L for reactive orthophosphate with a linearity of R²=91.3% and precision of 2.6ppm. The performance of the PDMS absorption driven pumping process was investigated using flow image analysis and indicates an effective pumping rate up to approximately 7µL/min to load a 36µL sample.

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Fifty-two college-aged observers participated in an experiment assessing color memory via a PowerPoint '97 computer display program which varied one of the three dimensions of hue, saturation and lightness at a time. Consistent with previous research, errors were greater for the lightness conditions followed by saturation, and least for hue conditions Additionally, a signal detection analysis indicated that d-prime was greatest for the hue conditions, less for saturation and lowest for lightness conditions. There were also significant but unpredicted differences in response criterion which may reflect task difficulty. Scores on the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (Marks, 1973) were, in general, not correlated with performance on these color memory tasks, inconsistent with previous research. The role of complexity of neuronal circuitry, the significance for opponent-process, trichromatic and retinex color vision theories and the relationship to Sokolov's model of color memory were discussed. Also, it was concluded that investigators of color memory using a computer display are well-advised to calibrate the monitor with a colorimeter because the internal computer units may be unreliable indexes of changes in hue, saturation and lightness. / Ph. D.

The growth of the Greek-style yogurt market is causing many problems for dairy companies who are trying to handle the voluminous whey by-product. Acid whey, unlike sweet whey, has a low amount of protein and high amounts of lactic acid, calcium, and other minerals. Therefore, it has limited commercial value to the food industry and often requires additional processing for disposal. Lactic acid and calcium solutions have shown efficacy in increasing the tenderness of beef and other types of meat. The purpose of this project is to investigate the use of acid whey, with its high amounts of lactic acid and calcium, to tenderize beef (eye of round, IMP 171C) during marination. This study evaluated the effects of marination of utilizing acid whey in improving quality parameters of beef. 13 roasts (Top round steaks from USDA Select steers) were randomly assigned to one of six marination treatments: (1) calcium chloride, (2) lactic acid, (3) phosphate (4) acid whey (lot 1), (5) acid whey (lot 2), and (6) control. Steaks were marinated in vacuum pouches, aged for 48 hours, cooked to 70º C and evaluated by a consumer sensory panel and other quantitative tests (texture analyzer, colorimeter, collagen, cook loss, and pH). Marination with acid whey increased the tenderness and juiciness ratings without decreasing hedonic liking scores for the overall flavor or aftertaste of the beef samples.

Direct sun drying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. A drying method that utilizes solar energy while minimizing negative aspects of sun drying is a solar dryer. However, research about the quality characteristics of fruits and vegetables dried using a solar dryer compared to a traditional dryer is lacking. To measure this, apple, tomato and carrot slices, and grape halves and whole peas were prepared and dried using either a solar or FA dehydrator (FA), Consumer liking was measured using two sensory panels that asked panelists 9-point hedonic questions between like products. Quality differences were analyzed using a TA.XT2 texture analyzer. Color was measured using a Hunterlab colorimeter. There were no significant differences in consumer liking (p<0.05) between drying methods for any fruits and vegetables with regards to overall acceptability. Grapes, tomatoes and carrots all had significant differences in consumer liking with regards to appearance, which correlates well with observed differences in a* values. Consumers liked the aroma of solar-dried peas significantly more. The texture of FA grapes was liked significantly more than their solar counterparts, which likely contributed to consumers significantly ranking the FA grapes higher than their solar counterparts when asked to rank which one they prefer.

Este trabalho apresenta uma nova metodologia para mapeamento no espaço de cor colorimétrico CIEXYZ, dos valores de triestímulo obtidos em um espaço de cor não colorimétrico definido pelas curvas de sensibilidade de um sensor eletrônico. A inovação do método proposto é realizar o mapeamento através de três redes neurais artificiais sendo que cada uma é especializada em mapear cores com um determinado triestímulo dominante. É feita a comparação dos resultados do mapeamento com vários trabalhos publicados sobre mapeamento de um espaço de cor em outro usando diversas técnicas. Os resultados mostram a eficiência do método proposto e permitem sua utilização em equipamentos para medir cores, incrementando sua precisão. / This work presents a new method for mapping a non colorimetric color space defined by the sensitivity curves of an electronic color sensor to the colorimetric color space CIEXYZ. The novelty of the proposed method is to perform the mapping by a set of three artificial neural networks, each one specialized in mapping colors with a specific dominant tristimulus. The results are compared with the ones obtained in published works about the mapping of color spaces, using several methods. The results of the method proposed in this work show that it is efficient and it can be used in equipments for measuring colors, improving its precision.

Este trabalho apresenta uma nova metodologia para mapeamento no espaço de cor colorimétrico CIEXYZ, dos valores de triestímulo obtidos em um espaço de cor não colorimétrico definido pelas curvas de sensibilidade de um sensor eletrônico. A inovação do método proposto é realizar o mapeamento através de três redes neurais artificiais sendo que cada uma é especializada em mapear cores com um determinado triestímulo dominante. É feita a comparação dos resultados do mapeamento com vários trabalhos publicados sobre mapeamento de um espaço de cor em outro usando diversas técnicas. Os resultados mostram a eficiência do método proposto e permitem sua utilização em equipamentos para medir cores, incrementando sua precisão. / This work presents a new method for mapping a non colorimetric color space defined by the sensitivity curves of an electronic color sensor to the colorimetric color space CIEXYZ. The novelty of the proposed method is to perform the mapping by a set of three artificial neural networks, each one specialized in mapping colors with a specific dominant tristimulus. The results are compared with the ones obtained in published works about the mapping of color spaces, using several methods. The results of the method proposed in this work show that it is efficient and it can be used in equipments for measuring colors, improving its precision.

This Master’s thesis deals with assembling of a colorimeter using NFC technology. The theoretical part introduces the principles of colorimetric measurement, calibration curve, and important physical quantities. Further, the principle of NFC technology, its architecture, and division of NFC devices are described. The goal of the practical part is to propose a structural design and software solution of a colorimeter. Particular emphasis is placed on the selection of the RGB sensor that is being tested and its results are being analyzed. The construction of electrical circuit and microprocessor control are being solved. The manuscript deals with the implementation of an application for the Android operating system, which serves as the user interface of the colorimeter. Obtaining data from the sensor and storing it in a memory of the NFC tag is provided by the Arduino platform. Issues that were encountered during the work are analyzed in the discussion.