Freshness assessment of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) by machine vision based on gill and eye color changes

Abstract The fish freshness was evaluated using machine vision technique through color changes of eyes and gills of farmed and wild gilthead sea bream ( Sparus aurata ), being employed lightness ( L * ), redness ( a * ), yellowness ( b * ), chroma ( c * ), and total color difference (Δ E ) parameters during fish ice storage. A digital color imaging system, calibrated to provide accurate CIELAB color measurements, was employed to record the visual characteristics of eyes and gills. The region of interest was automatically selected using a computer program developed in MATLAB software. L * , b * , and Δ E of eyes increased with storage time, while c * decreased. The a * parameter of fish eyes…