Fruit-HSNet: A Machine Learning Approach for Hyperspectral Image-Based Fruit Ripeness Prediction
Authors: Ahmed Baha Ben Jmaa, Faten Chaieb, Anna Fabijańska
Organizations: 1Efrei Research Lab, Paris Panthéon-Assas University, Paris, France · Institute of Applied Computer Science, Lodz University of Technology, Łódź, Poland
Abstract
Fruit ripeness prediction (FRP) is a classification-based agricultural computer vision task that has attracted much attention, thanks to its wide-ranging advantages in agriculture field for both pre-harvest and post-harvest management. Accurate and timely FRP can be achieved using machine/deep learning-based hyperspectral image classification techniques. However, challenges including the limited availability of labeled data and the lack of robust methods generalizable to various hyperspectral cameras and fruit types can compromise the effectiveness of hyperspectral image-based FRP. Addressing these challenges, this paper introduces Fruit-HSNet, a machine learning architecture specifically designed for hyperspectral classification of fruit ripeness. Fruit-HSNet incorporates a spatio-spectral feature extraction module based on Fourier Transform and central pixel spectral signature followed by learnable feature fusion and a classifier optimized for ripeness classification. The proposed architecture was evaluated using the DeepHS Fruit dataset, the largest publicly available labeled real-world hyperspectral dataset for predicting fruit ripeness, which includes five different types of fruits-avocado, kiwi, mango, kaki, and papaya-captured with three distinct hyperspectral cameras at various stages of ripeness. Experimental results highlight that Fruit-HSNet substantially outperforms existing deep learning methods, from baseline to state-of-the-art models, with improvements of 12%, achieving a new state-of-the-art overall accuracy of 70.73%.
Fruit spoilage is a significant issue in agriculture, leading to substantial economic losses. Addressing this, our study introduces a hybrid approach combining image processing and deep learning to assess fruit freshness. We developed an image processing algorithm that quantifies spoilage on a scale from 0 (fully fresh) to 100 (fully rotten). Alongside, we trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) to perform binary classification (fresh or rotten) using a large dataset of fruit images. The outcomes of both methods were synthesized using logistic regression to enhance the accuracy of freshness predictions. Subsequently, this logistic regression model was utilized to enable the image processing algorithm to provide binary classification based on its percentage output, thus eliminating the need for the CNN in real-time applications. Our approach, which does not require high computational resources, achieved real-time performance and was validated with over 90% accuracy on a dataset comprising apples and oranges. The primary limitation lies in the requirement for fruits to be isolated on a background that must be either white or transparent, suggesting future improvements could include advanced segmentation models to automate background removal. This study's results highlight the potential of integrating simple image processing techniques with machine learning to provide practical solutions in the agricultural sector.
Hyperspectral image (HSI) crop analysis is essential for precision agriculture because it captures rich spectral and spatial information for accurate crop monitoring and assessment. However, HSI classification remains challenging due to high spectral dimensionality, spatial complexity, class imbalance, and limited labeled samples. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a BiSpectral Mamba-based framework that combines multi-scale convolutional feature extraction, spectral attention, bidirectional state-space modeling, and quantum-inspired learning. A multi-scale CNN backbone first extracts hierarchical spatial-spectral representations through feature fusion across multiple resolutions. A spectral attention mechanism then emphasizes informative bands while suppressing redundant and noisy channels. The refined features are processed by a BiSpectral Mamba module that captures long-range dependencies in both forward and backward directions by modeling hyperspectral feature maps as sequential tokens. In addition, class-weighted optimization and feature fusion strategies are incorporated to improve training stability and mitigate class imbalance. Experimental evaluation on the UAVHSI-Crop dataset demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed framework, achieving an overall accuracy of 84.83%. The results show that integrating convolutional, attention-based, and state-space modeling components enables robust spatial-spectral feature learning for crop classification. The proposed framework also shows potential for broader agricultural and remote sensing applications, including crop disease detection, yield prediction, and soil moisture estimation, while highlighting the effectiveness of structured state-space and quantum-inspired architectures for hyperspectral image analysis.
Mohammad Salman Khan, Ehsan Atoofian, Saad B. Ahmed
Significant health risks are associated with the illegal, yet commonly practiced use of industrial-grade Calcium Carbide (CaC2) for ripening climacteric fruits like mango and banana, which leaves behind trace residues of arsenic and phosphorus. To address this, the proposed study explores a novel, non-invasive multispectral framework for distinguishing safely ripened fruits (naturally ripened and ethephon-induced) from calcium carbide-ripened samples, while also estimating their ripening progression (in percentage) and remaining shelf life (in days). The spectral profiles of mango (Mangifera indica) and banana (Musa acuminata) at 18 discrete wavelengths in the visible-near infrared (NIR) range (410 nm - 940 nm) are studied using the AS7265x spectral triad sensor. CaC2-treated samples exhibit sharper spectral intensity drops in the visible region, consistent with accelerated chlorophyll degradation and carotenoid development. To characterize these physiological changes, the feature engineering strategy integrates inter-method spectral variance, intensity ratios at distinct wavelengths, and environmental parameters including temperature and humidity. Dimensionality reduction using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) retains >90% of spectral variance within the first 5-7 components. The resulting feature set is used to train three independent eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost)-based learning algorithms for ripening method classification, along with quantitative estimation of remaining shelf life and ripening progression. A classification accuracy of 95% along with carbide class recall of 0.67 is observed for mango samples, while the model achieves an accuracy of 81% and carbide class recall of 0.74 for banana. This instrumentation and data-driven approach demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed non-invasive framework.