Determination of type and quality of hazelnut using image processing techniques

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) comes number two after almond in the ranking of hard shelled fruits that is cultivated commonly in the world. According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) statistics, Turkey covers approximately 70% of the world hazelnut production, and 82% of the hazelnut exportation. These statistics indicate that Turkey is the first largest hazelnut producer and exporter in the world. Quality and automation have a great importance in the agricultural industry that put our country forward as world-wide leader. In the quality control systems, classification studies with image processing methods have accelerated in recent years. In this study, it is aimed that determination of type and quality of shelled hazelnuts with image processing by using size and shape characteristics of hazelnuts. As a result of studies on a variety of hazelnuts, it was reached 84% accuracy rate for grouping of shelled hazelnut according to the type and commercial definitions. The quality of hazelnuts also was acquired without error. Inshell Hazelnut Standard (TS 3074) that is published by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) is based for shelled hazelnuts.