January 02, 2013 - 6:37 AM
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Researchers at Michigan State University are developing a way to tell if chestnuts are rotten without opening them.
To help assure that chestnuts reach market in good condition, the research team is working to create a noninvasive method of detecting internal decay in the fruit.
They're involved in assessing the various imaging techniques currently available.
So far, it seems that CT scans work better than X-rays, MRIs and other techniques.
Known as CT, computerized tomography combines a series of X-rays taken from different angles and computer processing to create cross-sectional images.
The U.S. produces only about 1 per cent of the world's chestnuts, and Michigan is the national leader.
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Project details: http://bit.ly/Uk9lzk
News from © The Associated Press, 2013