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Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Electronic Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2020) | Viewed by 63209

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zoltan Kovacs

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Guest Editor

Szent István University, Faculty of Food Science
Interests: instrumental taste and aroma sensing; near infrared spectroscopy; aquaphotomics; chemometrics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. George Bazar

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Guest Editor

Kaposvar University
Interests: near-infrared spectroscopy in agricultural applications; aroma analysis of foods and feeds;analysis of the effect of feeding on animal products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Zoltan Gillay

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Szent István University, Faculty of Food Science
Interests: grain moisture measurement; NIR spectroscopy; image processing; chemometrics; aquaphotomics; instrumentation

Special Issue Information

Food quality generally refers to the evaluation of foods through physical, chemical, or microbiological analysis. It is an aspect of food security that requires innovative methods to keep up with dynamic trends in the complex food chain matrix. The electronic tongue (e-tongue), electronic nose (e-nose), and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are advanced analytical instruments with high sensitivity that have been extendedly applied in research and industry because of their advantages in rapid quantitative and qualitative food analysis. The e-tongue requires liquid or liquidized samples, but both e-nose and NIRS offer noninvasive analytical advantages. The potential to measure more diverse food quality factors with these instruments is undoubtedly promising and continues to be unraveled by recent researchers. Keeping pace with developments in this scope is imperative for quality control of unprocessed, processed, and semiprocessed foods from farm-to-fork.

This Special Issue invites original research papers and review articles that focus on the recent applications of e-tongue, e-nose, and NIRS, either as independent techniques or correlative methods with other analytical instruments and respective chemometrics for food quality measurements. This is an emerging frontier for solving challenges that directly impact the food industry and helping to strengthen quality control systems for present and future generations.

Dr. Zoltan Kovacs
Dr. George Bazar
Dr. Zoltan Gillay
Guest Editors

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Keywords

authentication
fingerprinting
high-sensitivity
chemometrics
sensors
aquaphotomics
quantitative
qualitative
olfactometry

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3241 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Aquaphotomics for Monitoring Mung Bean (Vigna radiata) Sprout Growth and Validation of Ascorbic Acid Content

by David Tjandra Nugraha, John-Lewis Zinia Zaukuu, Juan Pablo Aguinaga Bósquez, Zsanett Bodor, Flora Vitalis and Zoltan Kovacs

Sensors 2021, 21(2), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21020611 - 17 Jan 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4972

Abstract

Mung bean is a leguminous crop with specific trait in its diet, namely in the form of anti-nutrient components. The sprouting process is commonly done for better nutritional acceptance of mung bean as it presents better nutritional benefits. Sprouted mung bean serves as a cheap source of protein and ascorbic acid, which are dependent on the sprouting process, hence the importance of following the biological process. In larger production scale, there has not been a definite standard for mung bean sprouting, raising the need for quick and effective mung bean sprout quality checks. In this regard, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been recognized as a highly sensitive technique for quality control that seems suitable for this study. The aim of this paper was to describe quality parameters (water content, pH, conductivity, and ascorbic acid by titration) during sprouting using conventional analytical methods and advanced NIRS techniques as correlative methods for modelling sprouted mung beans’ quality and ascorbic acid content. Mung beans were sprouted in 6 h intervals up to 120 h and analyzed using conventional methods and a NIR instrument. The results of the standard analytical methods were analyzed with univariate statistics (analysis of variance (ANOVA)), and the NIRS spectral data was assessed with the chemometrics approach (principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant analysis (DA), and partial least squares regression (PLSR)). Water content showed a monotonous increase during the 120 h of sprouting. The change in pH and conductivity did not describe a clear pattern during the sprouting, confirming the complexity of the biological process. Spectral data-based discriminant analysis was able to distinctly classify the bean sprouts with 100% prediction accuracy. A NIRS-based model for ascorbic acid determination was made using standard ascorbic acid to quantify the components in the bean extract. A rapid detection technique within sub-percent level was developed for mung bean ascorbic acid content with R² above 0.90. The NIR-based prediction offers reliable estimation of mung bean sprout quality Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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18 pages, 2017 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Standardized Extraction Techniques for Meat Analysis with the Electronic Tongue: A Case Study of Poultry and Red Meat Adulteration

by John-Lewis Zinia Zaukuu, Zoltan Gillay and Zoltan Kovacs

Sensors 2021, 21(2), 481; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21020481 - 12 Jan 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3887

Abstract

The electronic tongue (e-tongue) is an advanced sensor-based device capable of detecting low concentration differences in solutions. It could have unparalleled advantages for meat quality control, but the challenges of standardized meat extraction methods represent a backdrop that has led to its scanty application in the meat industry. This study aimed to determine the optimal dilution level of meat extract for e-tongue evaluations and also to develop three standardized meat extraction methods. For practicality, the developed methods were applied to detect low levels of meat adulteration using beef and pork mixtures and turkey and chicken mixtures as case studies. Dilution factor of 1% w/v of liquid meat extract was determined to be the optimum for discriminating 1% w/w, 3% w/w, 5% w/w, 10% w/w, and 20% w/w chicken in turkey and pork in beef with linear discriminant analysis accuracies (LDA) of 78.13% (recognition) and 64.73% (validation). Even higher LDA accuracies of 89.62% (recognition) and 68.77% (validation) were achieved for discriminating 1% w/w, 3% w/w, 5% w/w, 10% w/w, and 20% w/w of pork in beef. Partial least square models could predict both sets of meat mixtures with good accuracies. Extraction by cooking was the best method for discriminating meat mixtures and can be applied for meat quality evaluations with the e-tongue. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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15 pages, 3308 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determining Sonication Effect on E. coli in Liquid Egg, Egg Yolk and Albumen and Inspecting Structural Property Changes by Near-Infrared Spectra

by David Nagy, Jozsef Felfoldi, Andrea Taczmanne Bruckner, Csilla Mohacsi-Farkas, Zsanett Bodor, Istvan Kertesz, Csaba Nemeth and Viktoria Zsom-Muha

Sensors 2021, 21(2), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21020398 - 8 Jan 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2946

Abstract

In this study, liquid egg, albumen, and egg yolk were artificially inoculated with E. coli. Ultrasound equipment (20/40 kHz, 180/300 W; 30/45/60 min) with a circulation cooling system was used to lower the colony forming units (CFU) of E. coli samples. Frequency, absorbed power, energy dose, and duration of sonication showed a significant impact on E. coli with 0.5 log CFU/mL in albumen, 0.7 log CFU/mL in yolk and 0.5 log CFU/mL decrease at 40 kHz and 6.9 W absorbed power level. Significant linear correlation (p < 0.001) was observed between the energy dose of sonication and the decrease of E. coli. The results showed that sonication can be a useful tool as a supplementary method to reduce the number of microorganism in egg products. With near-infrared (NIR) spectra analysis we were able to detect the structural changes of the egg samples, due to ultrasonic treatment. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that sonication can alter C–H, C–N, –OH and N–H bonds in egg. The aquagrams showed that sonication can alter the properties of H₂O structure in egg products. The observed data showed that the absorbance of free water (1412 nm), water molecules with one (1440 nm), two (1462 nm), three (1472 nm) and four (1488 nm) hydrogen bonds, water solvation shell (1452 nm) and strongly bonded water (1512 nm) of the egg samples have been changed during ultrasonic treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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18 pages, 2057 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Real-Time Monitoring of Yogurt Fermentation Process by Aquaphotomics Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

by Jelena Muncan, Kyoko Tei and Roumiana Tsenkova

Sensors 2021, 21(1), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21010177 - 29 Dec 2020

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 10307

Abstract

Automated quality control could have a substantial economic impact on the dairy industry. At present, monitoring of yogurt production is performed by sampling for microbiological and physicochemical measurements. In this study, Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) is proposed for non-invasive automated control of yogurt production and better understanding of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation. UHT (ultra-high temperature) sterilized milk was inoculated with Bulgarian yogurt and placed into a quartz cuvette (1 mm pathlength) and test-tubes. Yogurt absorbance spectra (830–2500 nm) were acquired every 15 min, and pH, in the respective test-tubes, was measured every 30 min, during 8 h of fermentation. Spectral data showed substantial baseline and slope changes with acidification. These variations corresponded to respective features of the microbiological growth curve showing water structural changes, protein denaturation, and coagulation of milk. Moving Window Principal Component Analysis (MWPCA) was applied in the spectral range of 954–1880 nm to detect absorbance bands where most variations in the loading curves were caused by LAB fermentation. Characteristic wavelength regions related to the observed physical and multiple chemical changes were identified. The results proved that NIRS is a valuable tool for real-time monitoring and better understanding of the yogurt fermentation process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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21 pages, 1998 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Classification of Bee Pollen and Prediction of Sensory and Colorimetric Attributes—A Sensometric Fusion Approach by e-Nose, e-Tongue and NIR

by László Sipos, Rita Végh, Zsanett Bodor, John-Lewis Zinia Zaukuu, Géza Hitka, György Bázár and Zoltan Kovacs

Sensors 2020, 20(23), 6768; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20236768 - 26 Nov 2020

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4616

Abstract

The chemical composition of bee pollens differs greatly and depends primarily on the botanical origin of the product. Therefore, it is a crucially important task to discriminate pollens of different plant species. In our work, we aim to determine the applicability of microscopic pollen analysis, spectral colour measurement, sensory, NIR spectroscopy, e-nose and e-tongue methods for the classification of bee pollen of five different botanical origins. Chemometric methods (PCA, LDA) were used to classify bee pollen loads by analysing the statistical pattern of the samples and to determine the independent and combined effects of the above-mentioned methods. The results of the microscopic analysis identified 100% of sunflower, red clover, rapeseed and two polyfloral pollens mainly containing lakeshore bulrush and spiny plumeless thistle. The colour profiles of the samples were different for the five different samples. E-nose and NIR provided 100% classification accuracy, while e-tongue > 94% classification accuracy for the botanical origin identification using LDA. Partial least square regression (PLS) results built to regress on the sensory and spectral colour attributes using the fused data of NIR spectroscopy, e-nose and e-tongue showed higher than 0.8 R² during the validation except for one attribute, which was much higher compared to the independent models built for instruments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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22 pages, 3018 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detection and Quantification of Tomato Paste Adulteration Using Conventional and Rapid Analytical Methods

by Flora Vitalis, John-Lewis Zinia Zaukuu, Zsanett Bodor, Balkis Aouadi, Géza Hitka, Timea Kaszab, Viktoria Zsom-Muha, Zoltan Gillay and Zoltan Kovacs

Sensors 2020, 20(21), 6059; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20216059 - 24 Oct 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5628

Abstract

Tomato, and its concentrate are important food ingredients with outstanding gastronomic and industrial importance due to their unique organoleptic, dietary, and compositional properties. Various forms of food adulteration are often suspected in the different tomato-based products causing major economic and sometimes even health problems for the farmers, food industry and consumers. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and electronic tongue (e-tongue) have been lauded as advanced, high sensitivity techniques for quality control. The aim of the present research was to detect and predict relatively low concentration of adulterants, such as paprika seed and corn starch (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10%), sucrose and salt (0.5, 1, 2, 5%), in tomato paste using conventional (soluble solid content, consistency) and advanced analytical techniques (NIR spectroscopy, e-tongue). The results obtained with the conventional methods were analyzed with univariate statistics (ANOVA), while the data obtained with advanced analytical methods were analyzed with multivariate methods (Principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), partial least squares regression (PLSR). The conventional methods were only able to detect adulteration at higher concentrations (5–10%). For NIRS and e-tongue, good accuracies were obtained, even in identifying minimal adulterant concentrations (0.5%). Comparatively, NIR spectroscopy proved to be easier to implement and more accurate during our evaluations, when the adulterant contents were estimated with R² above 0.96 and root mean square error (RMSE) below 1%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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17 pages, 1968 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy as a Rapid Screening Method for the Determination of Total Anthocyanin Content in Sambucus Fructus

by Stefan Stuppner, Sophia Mayr, Anel Beganovic, Krzysztof Beć, Justyna Grabska, Urban Aufschnaiter, Magdalena Groeneveld, Matthias Rainer, Thomas Jakschitz, Günther K. Bonn and Christian W. Huck

Sensors 2020, 20(17), 4983; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20174983 - 2 Sep 2020

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 4875

Abstract

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L., fructus) is a very potent herbal drug, deriving from traditional European medicine (TEM). Ripe elderberries are rich in anthocyanins, flavonols, flavonol esters, flavonol glycosides, lectins, essential oils, unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins. Nevertheless, unripe elderflower fruits contain a certain amount of sambunigrin, a toxic cyanogenic glycoside, whose concentration decreases in the ripening process. Therefore, quality assurance must be carried out. The standard method described in literature is the photometric determination (pH-differential method) of the total anthocyanin content (TAC) that is the highest when the berries are ripe. The drawback of the pH-differential method is the extensive sample preparation and the low accuracy of the method. Therefore, the goal of this publication was to develop a fast non invasive near-infrared (NIR) method for the determination of TAC in whole berries. TAC of elderberries was measured using pH-differentiation method where TAC values of 632.87 mg/kg to 4342.01 mg/kg were measured. Additionally, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside-5-O-glucoside which represent more than 98% of TAC in elderberry were quantified using ultra high performance liquid chromatography-multiple wavelength detection—ultra high resolution-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MWD-UHR-Q-TOF-MS) and their sum parameter was determined, ranging between 499.43 mg/kg and 8199.07 mg/kg. Using those two methods as reference, whole elderberries were investigated by NIR spectroscopy with the Büchi NIRFlex N-500 benchtop spectrometer. According to the constructed partial least squares regression (PLSR) models the performance was as follows: a relative standard deviation (RSD_PLSR) of 13.5% and root mean square error of calibration (RMSECV/RMSEC) of 1.31 for pH-differentiation reference and a RSD_PLSR of 12.9% and RMSECV/RMSEC of 1.28 for the HPLC reference method. In this study, we confirm that it is possible to perform a NIR screening for TAC in whole elderberries. Using quantum chemical calculations, we obtained detailed NIR band assignments of the analyzed compounds and interpreted the wavenumber regions established in PLSR models as meaningful for anthocyanin content. The NIR measurement turned out to be a fast and cost-efficient alternative for the determination of TAC compared to pH-differential method and UHPLC-MWD-UHR-Q-TOF-MS. Due to the benefit of no sample preparation and extraction the technology can be considered as sustainable green technology. With the above mentioned inversely proportional ratio of TAC to total amount of toxic cyanogenic glycosides, NIR proves to be a reliable screening method for the ideal harvest time with maximal content of TAC and lowest content of cyanogenic glycosides in elderberry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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20 pages, 3946 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sensory and Physicochemical Evaluation of Acacia and Linden Honey Adulterated with Sugar Syrup

by Zsanett Bodor, Zoltan Kovacs, Mahmoud Said Rashed, Zoltán Kókai, István Dalmadi and Csilla Benedek

Sensors 2020, 20(17), 4845; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20174845 - 27 Aug 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4119

Abstract

Honey is produced by honeybees and is used as a food and medical product. Adulteration of honey has been a problem for several years now because of the relatively high price of honey on the market according to its valuable composition. The aim of our study is to determine the physicochemical properties of authentic Hungarian linden and acacia honeys (pure samples or manipulated ones blended with sugar syrup) as well as commercially available blends of European Union (EU) non-European Union (non-EU) honeys. Authentic linden and acacia were blended with sugar syrup at 10%, 20% and 50% concentration levels, and physicochemical properties were determined according to the methods of the International Honey Commission. Our objectives also included testing of the performance of electronic sensory techniques (electronic tongue (ET) and electronic nose (EN)) in the detection of adulteration, and the results are compared to the sensory profile analysis. The results provide good average recognition and prediction abilities for the classification of adulterated and authentic honeys (>90% for ET and higher than >80 for EN). Misclassifications were found only in the case of honey with 10% added sugar syrup. The methods were also able to reveal adulteration of independently predicted samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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Review

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42 pages, 773 KiB

Open AccessReview

QCM Sensor Arrays, Electroanalytical Techniques and NIR Spectroscopy Coupled to Multivariate Analysis for Quality Assessment of Food Products, Raw Materials, Ingredients and Foodborne Pathogen Detection: Challenges and Breakthroughs

by David K. Bwambok, Noureen Siraj, Samantha Macchi, Nathaniel E. Larm, Gary A. Baker, Rocío L. Pérez, Caitlan E. Ayala, Charuksha Walgama, David Pollard, Jason D. Rodriguez, Souvik Banerjee, Brianda Elzey, Isiah M. Warner and Sayo O. Fakayode

Sensors 2020, 20(23), 6982; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20236982 - 7 Dec 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 6690

Abstract

Quality checks, assessments, and the assurance of food products, raw materials, and food ingredients is critically important to ensure the safeguard of foods of high quality for safety and public health. Nevertheless, quality checks, assessments, and the assurance of food products along distribution and supply chains is impacted by various challenges. For instance, the development of portable, sensitive, low-cost, and robust instrumentation that is capable of real-time, accurate, and sensitive analysis, quality checks, assessments, and the assurance of food products in the field and/or in the production line in a food manufacturing industry is a major technological and analytical challenge. Other significant challenges include analytical method development, method validation strategies, and the non-availability of reference materials and/or standards for emerging food contaminants. The simplicity, portability, non-invasive, non-destructive properties, and low-cost of NIR spectrometers, make them appealing and desirable instruments of choice for rapid quality checks, assessments and assurances of food products, raw materials, and ingredients. This review article surveys literature and examines current challenges and breakthroughs in quality checks and the assessment of a variety of food products, raw materials, and ingredients. Specifically, recent technological innovations and notable advances in quartz crystal microbalances (QCM), electroanalytical techniques, and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopic instrument development in the quality assessment of selected food products, and the analysis of food raw materials and ingredients for foodborne pathogen detection between January 2019 and July 2020 are highlighted. In addition, chemometric approaches and multivariate analyses of spectral data for NIR instrumental calibration and sample analyses for quality assessments and assurances of selected food products and electrochemical methods for foodborne pathogen detection are discussed. Moreover, this review provides insight into the future trajectory of innovative technological developments in QCM, electroanalytical techniques, NIR spectroscopy, and multivariate analyses relating to general applications for the quality assessment of food products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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42 pages, 2642 KiB

Open AccessReview

Historical Evolution and Food Control Achievements of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Electronic Nose, and Electronic Tongue—Critical Overview

by Balkis Aouadi, John-Lewis Zinia Zaukuu, Flora Vitális, Zsanett Bodor, Orsolya Fehér, Zoltan Gillay, George Bazar and Zoltan Kovacs

Sensors 2020, 20(19), 5479; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20195479 - 24 Sep 2020

Cited by 60 | Viewed by 9124

Abstract

Amid today’s stringent regulations and rising consumer awareness, failing to meet quality standards often results in health and financial compromises. In the lookout for solutions, the food industry has seen a surge in high-performing systems all along the production chain. By virtue of their wide-range designs, speed, and real-time data processing, the electronic tongue (E-tongue), electronic nose (E-nose), and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy have been at the forefront of quality control technologies. The instruments have been used to fingerprint food properties and to control food production from farm-to-fork. Coupled with advanced chemometric tools, these high-throughput yet cost-effective tools have shifted the focus away from lengthy and laborious conventional methods. This special issue paper focuses on the historical overview of the instruments and their role in food quality measurements based on defined food matrices from the Codex General Standards. The instruments have been used to detect, classify, and predict adulteration of dairy products, sweeteners, beverages, fruits and vegetables, meat, and fish products. Multiple physico-chemical and sensory parameters of these foods have also been predicted with the instruments in combination with chemometrics. Their inherent potential for speedy, affordable, and reliable measurements makes them a perfect choice for food control. The high sensitivity of the instruments can sometimes be generally challenging due to the influence of environmental conditions, but mathematical correction techniques exist to combat these challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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7 pages, 2168 KiB

Open AccessLetter

The Influence of the Presence of Borax and NaCl on Water Absorption Pattern during Sturgeon Caviar (Acipenser transmontanus) Storage

by Massimo Brambilla, Marina Buccheri, Maurizio Grassi, Annamaria Stellari, Mario Pazzaglia, Elio Romano and Tiziana M. P. Cattaneo

Sensors 2020, 20(24), 7174; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20247174 - 15 Dec 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2220

Abstract

Sturgeon caviar quality relies not only on the perfect dosage of the ingredients but also on the long sturgeon breeding cycle (about 12–15 years) and the exact timing of the egg extraction. For the improvement and the promotion of Italian caviar, the development of an analytical system dedicated to fish products, and caviar, in particular, is fundamental. The use of near-infrared spectrometry (NIRS) technology is auspicious. The aquaphotomics approach proved to be an adequate analytical tool to highlight, in real-time, the differences in caviar quality stored with, or without, borax as a preservative. Seventy-five sturgeon caviar (Acipenser transmontanus) samples underwent spectral NIR characterization using a microNIR1700 in the 900–1700 nm range. Data processing was carried out according to the literature. Tenderometric and sensory analyses were also carried out in parallel. The results suggest that a process line under strict control and monitoring can result in high-quality caviar without any other preservative than salt. The challenge of producing caviar without any potentially-toxic preservatives could now be a reality. NIR spectroscopy and aquaphotomics can be, in the future, non-invasive methods to monitor the whole production chain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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15 pages, 3934 KiB

Open AccessLetter

Application of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Investigate Some Endogenic Properties of Pleurotus ostreatus Cultivars

by Marietta Fodor, Erika Etelka Mikola, András Geösel, Éva Stefanovits-Bányai and Zsuzsanna Mednyánszky

Sensors 2020, 20(22), 6632; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20226632 - 19 Nov 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2594

Abstract

Fourteen different Pleurotus ostreatus cultivars (Po_1–Po_14) were tested for free amino acid content (fAA), total polyphenol content (TPC), and antioxidant capacity (Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma—FRAP) to select the cultivars with the most favorable traits. Automatic amino acid analyzer (fAA) and spectrophotometric assay (TPC, FRAP) results as well as Fourier-transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectra were evaluated with different chemometric methods (Kruskal–Wallis test, Principal Component Analysis—PCA, Linear Discriminant Analysis—LDA). Based on total free amino acid concentrations and FRAP values, the Po_2 cultivar was found to be the most favorable. Types Po_3, Po_8, Po_10 and Po_12 were separated using PCA. Based on the spectral profile, they may contain polyphenols and reducing compounds of different qualities. LDA classification that was based on the concentrations of all free amino acids, cysteine, and proline of the cultivars was performed with an accuracy of over 90%. LDA classification that was based on the TPC and FRAP values was performed with an accuracy of over 83%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breakthroughs and Challenges in Food Quality Assessment Using Advanced Rapid Techniques: Electronic Tongue, Electronic Nose, and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

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