A Low-Cost Implementation of a Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Moisture Sensor Based on the Howland Current Source Through Discrete Fourier Transform

TL;DR

A low-cost potato moisture sensor was developed using electrical impedance spectroscopy and discrete Fourier transform techniques.

Contribution

The novel use of a Howland current source and DFT for low-cost potato moisture detection is introduced.

Findings

The sensor detected potato moisture content with an R-squared of 0.786 at frequencies 500–5000 Hz.

The system showed stable linearity across frequencies using low-cost components.

Excitation in the 500–5000 Hz range provided favorable and consistent measurement results.

Abstract

The growing demand for the production of food has led to the development of new analytical techniques in the food industry, enabling innovative strategies to streamline food production and ensure its physicochemical and microbiological quality. In this work, a smart sensor was developed using the electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. The system is based on discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and incorporates a Howland current source. The experimental results showed that the sensor was able to detect the moisture content in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.). Favorable responses were obtained by exciting the system with two frequency intervals: 0–100 Hz and 500–5000 Hz. An exhaustive analysis of the frequency response was performed to identify the most linear behavior in the moisture measurement, with an R-squared of 0.786 and signals in intervals from 500 to 5000 Hz. Moreover, the linearity remained stable across most frequencies, resulting in consistent measurements, even with the implementation of low-cost components.

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