Coffee is a critical agricultural commodity to be used to produce a premium beverage to serve people worldwide. Coffee microbiome turned to be an essential tool to improve the bean quality through the natural fermentation. Therefore, understanding the microbial diversities could create the final product's better quality. This study investigated the natural microbial consortium during the wet process fermentation of coffee onsite in Thailand to characterize the microorganisms involved in correlation toward the biochemical characteristics and metabolic attributes. Roasting is another important step in developing the complex flavor/ aroma that make coffee to be enjoyable. During the roasting process, the beans undergo many complex and alternatively change in the physicochemical properties from the gained substances in the fermentation process. The changing in the formation of the substances responsible for the sensory qualities, physicochemical/ aroma attributes as well as the health benefits of the final product. Using the starter culture could also develop the distinguished characteristics of coffee (Research collaboration with Van Hart company)
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คณะวิศวกรรมศาสตร์
The evaluation of mango yield and consumer behavior reflects an increasing awareness of product origins, with a growing demand for traceability to understand how the produce has been cultivated and managed. This study explores the relationship between mango characteristics and cultivation practices before harvest, using location identification to provide insights into these processes. To achieve this, a model was developed to detect and locate mangoes using 2D images via a Deep Learning approach. The study also investigates techniques to determine the real-world coordinates of mangoes from 2D images. The YOLOv8 model was employed for object detection, integrated with camera calibration and triangulation techniques to estimate the 3D positions of detected mangoes. Experiments involved 125 trials with randomized mango positions and camera placements at varying yaw and pitch angles. Parameters extracted from sequential images were compared to derive the actual 3D positions of the mangoes. The YOLOv8 model demonstrated high performance with prediction metrics of Precision (0.928), Recall (0.901), mAP50 (0.965), mAP50-95 (0.785), and F1-Score (0.914). These results indicate sufficient accuracy for predicting mango positions, with an average positional error of approximately 38 centimeters.
คณะวิศวกรรมศาสตร์
The integration of intelligent robotic systems into human-centric environments, such as laboratories, hospitals, and educational institutions, has become increasingly important due to the growing demand for accessible and context-aware assistants. However, current solutions often lack scalability—for instance, relying on specialized personnel to repeatedly answer the same questions as administrators for specific departments—and adaptability to dynamic environments that require real-time situational responses. This study introduces a novel framework for an interactive robotic assistant (Beckerle et al. , 2017) designed to assist during laboratory tours and mitigate the challenges posed by limited human resources in providing comprehensive information to visitors. The proposed system operates through multiple modes, including standby mode and recognition mode, to ensure seamless interaction and adaptability in various contexts. In standby mode, the robot signals readiness with a smiling face animation while patrolling predefined paths or conserving energy when stationary. Advanced obstacle detection ensures safe navigation in dynamic environments. Recognition mode activates through gestures or wake words, using advanced computer vision and real-time speech recognition to identify users. Facial recognition further classifies individuals as known or unknown, providing personalized greetings or context-specific guidance to enhance user engagement. The proposed robot and its 3D design are shown in Figure 1. In interactive mode, the system integrates advanced technologies, including advanced speech recognition (ASR Whisper), natural language processing (NLP), and a large language model Ollama 3.2 (LLM Predictor, 2025), to provide a user-friendly, context-aware, and adaptable experience. Motivated by the need to engage students and promote interest in the RAI department, which receives over 1,000 visitors annually, it addresses accessibility gaps where human staff may be unavailable. With wake word detection, face and gesture recognition, and LiDAR-based obstacle detection, the robot ensures seamless communication in English, alongside safe and efficient navigation. The Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) human interaction system communicates with the mobile robot, built on ROS1 Noetic, using the MQTT protocol over Ethernet. It publishes navigation goals to the move_base module in ROS, which autonomously handles navigation and obstacle avoidance. A diagram is explained in Figure 2. The framework includes a robust back-end architecture utilizing a combination of MongoDB for information storage and retrieval and a RAG mechanism (Thüs et al., 2024) to process program curriculum information in the form of PDFs. This ensures that the robot provides accurate and contextually relevant answers to user queries. Furthermore, the inclusion of smiling face animations and text-to-speech (TTS BotNoi) enhanced user engagement metrics were derived through a combination of observational studies and surveys, which highlighted significant improvements in user satisfaction and accessibility. This paper also discusses capability to operate in dynamic environments and human-centric spaces. For example, handling interruptions while navigating during a mission. The modular design allows for easy integration of additional features, such as gesture recognition and hardware upgrades, ensuring long-term scalability. However, limitations such as the need for high initial setup costs and dependency on specific hardware configurations are acknowledged. Future work will focus on enhancing the system’s adaptability to diverse languages, expanding its use cases, and exploring collaborative interactions between multiple robots. In conclusion, the proposed interactive robotic assistant represents a significant step forward in bridging the gap between human needs and technological advancements. By combining cutting-edge AI technologies with practical hardware solutions, this work offers a scalable, efficient, and user-friendly system that enhances accessibility and user engagement in human-centric spaces.
คณะอุตสาหกรรมอาหาร
This study aims to investigate the co-encapsulation technique of vitamin C and coenzyme Q10 within liposomes to enhance their stability and encapsulation efficiency and evaluate their antioxidant activity and release behavior under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Liposomes were prepared using the High-Speed Homogenization Method, and their characteristics, including particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and antioxidant activity, were analyzed using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. The results demonstrated that co-encapsulation significantly improved the stability of vitamin C and coenzyme Q10 compared to single encapsulation. The liposomes exhibited high encapsulation efficiency and maintained strong antioxidant activity. The release profile under simulated gastrointestinal conditions also indicated a sustained and controlled release. These findings highlight the potential of the co-encapsulation technique in enhancing the efficacy of functional bioactive compounds, making it applicable to the food and nutraceutical industries.