Assessment of the honey purity by using imaging polarimetry technique

Abstract The imaging polarimetry technique has wide range of application in modern science technologies however the adulteration of honey purity is a global challenge in honey industries so the research was carried out purposefully to assess the quality of honey by using different polarization parameters obtained from imaging polarimetry techniques which was applied on the honey samples mixed with different adulterants (glucose, fructose, sucrose). This was done specifically to make variation in the polarization parameters of the two honey sample. Method; The experiment was achieved by using optical device that were attached in optical bench were the laser light was passed through the beam expander and illuminated toward the sample. The image was then taken with angle variation of 22.5ᵒ and labeled as I0, taken at angle 45ᵒ labeled I1, image taken from angle 67.5ᵒ, 90ᵒ, 112.5ᵒ, 135ᵒ, 157.5ᵒ and 180ᵒ were labeled as I2, I3, I4, I5, I6 and I7 respectively and the eight images of each sample were captured. Using the captured images of the sample the polarization parameters (DOP, DOCP, DLP) of all samples were obtained and tabulated in the table with their mean and standard deviation. Results; The mean and standard deviation obtained from the (DOP, DOCP, DLP) histogram curve showed the good variation of pure sample and their relative adulterants and it was observed that the variation in impure sample was irregular due to adulterants and impurities already present in the sample. Conclusion; the degree of circular polarization was found to be more successful in quantifying the honey purity as the matter of fact that the intensity images of DOCP was much way greater than the others and the histogram of DOCP covered the large part of the histogram amount.