Infrared and near-infrared technology for the food industry and agricultural uses: on-line applications

Abstract Mid-infrared and near-infrared spectroscopy are well-known analytical tools for the food industry but they have different properties. On comparison, due to its lower absorption coefficients, near-infrared allows quantitative analysis, especially on solid samples, whereas, due to its high selectivity, mid-infrared is most suitable for qualitative analysis. The aim of this article is to present general guidelines for the choice of a technology according to the type of problem, of their use in two specific cases. The first example describes the most appropriate system for the quantification of individual sugars in a liquid mixture. Fourier transform/infrared spectroscopy is used to detect fructose and glucose in fermentation processes with standard errors of prediction respectively equal to 2.4 and 3.6 g/l. The second example describes a tool for solid product control at a high speed: near-infrared coupled with optical fibres is selected to detect sugar in fruit at a rate of three fruits per second.

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