Neural network training in SCILAB for classifying mango (Mangifera indica) according to maturity level using the RGB color model

Industries that use fruits as raw materials must, at some point in the process, classify them to discard the unsuitable ones and thus ensure the quality of the final product. To produce mango nectar, it is necessary to ensure that the mango is mature enough to start the extraction of the nectar; however, sorting thousands of mangoes may require many people, who can easily lose attention and reduce the accuracy of the result. Such kind of decision can be supported by current Artificial Intelligence techniques. The theoretical details of the processing are presented, as well as the programming code of the neural network using SCILAB as a computer language; the code includes the color extraction from mango images. SCILAB programming is simple, efficient and does not require computers with large processing capacity. The classification was validated with 30 images (TIF format) of Manila variety mango; the mangoes were placed on a blue background to easily separate the background from the object of interest. Four and six mangoes were used to train the neural network. This application of neural networks is part of an undergraduate course on artificial intelligence, which shows the potential of these techniques for solving real and concrete problems.