PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To objectively evaluate appearance regarding cooked rice under different cooking conditions. SOLUTION: Cooked rice 3 is irradiated from the top via a diffuser panel 9 with an LED white light source 8, the cooked rice 3 is photographed approximately at 45 degrees at oblique lower with a luminance camera 1, obtained image data is processed by a PC2, an average luminance value of the whole analysis image is calculated by using luminance values for every segment from the size of 1/5 to 1/10 of grains of cooked rice, ratio of the number of segments of a luminance value equal to or more than ??±10%?? of the average luminance value is obtained, and the appearance is evaluated by using the ratio as glossiness of the cooked rice 3. Thus, contours of the grains of cooked rice can be recognized, rice in the contours of which a part which is brighter than the surroundings exists, and which is glossy can be objectively evaluated, and the appearance under different cooking conditions is also evaluated by using the number of segments of the luminance value equal to or less than -10% corresponding to contour parts of the grains of cooked rice and the number of segments of the luminance value equal to or more than +10% corresponding to a part which is relatively bright to the contours in combination. COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT
