Prediction Models for the Content of Calcium, Boron and Potassium in the Fruit of ‘Huangguan’ Pears Established by Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

It has been proved that the imbalance of the proportion of elements of ‘Huangguan’ pears in the pulp and peel, especially calcium, boron and potassium, may be important factors that can seriously affect the pears’ appearance quality and economic benefits. The objective of this study was to predict the content of calcium, boron and potassium in the pulp and peel of ‘Huangguan’ pears nondestructively and conveniently by using near-infrared spectroscopy (900–1700 nm) technology. Firstly, 12 algorithms were used to preprocess the original spectral data. Then, based on the original and preprocessed spectral data, full-band prediction models were established by using Partial Least Squares Regression and Gradient Boosting Regression Tree. Finally, the characteristic wavelengths were extracted by Genetic Algorithms to establish the characteristic wavelength prediction models. According to the prediction results, the value of the determination coefficient of the prediction sets of the best prediction models for the three elements all reached ideal levels, and the values of their Relative analysis error also showed high levels. Therefore, the micro near-infrared spectrometer based on machine learning can predict the content of calcium, boron and potassium in the pulp and peel of ‘Huangguan’ pears accurately and quickly. The results also provide an important scientific theoretical basis for further research on the degradation of the quality of ‘Huangguan’ pears caused by a lack of nutrients.