Portable vs. Benchtop NIR-Sensor Technology for Classification and Quality Evaluation of Black Truffle

Abstract

Truffles represent the best known and most expensive edible mushroom. Known as Ascomycetes, they belong to the genus Tuber and live in symbiosis with plant host roots. Due to their extraordinary taste and smell, truffles are sold worldwide for high prices of up to 3000–5000 euros per kilogram (Tuber magnatum PICO). Amongst black truffles, the species Tuber melanosporum VITTAD. is highly regarded for its organoleptic properties. Nonetheless, numerous different sorts of black truffle are offered at lower prices, including Tuber aestivum VITTAD., Tuber indicum and Tuber uncinatum, which represent the most frequently consumed types. Because truffles do not differ visually for inexperienced consumers, food fraud is likely to occur. In particular, for the highly prized Tuber melanosporum, which morphologically forms very similar fruiting bodies to those of Tuber indicum, there is a risk of fraud via imported truffles from Asia. In this study, 126 truffle samples belonging to the four mentioned species were investigated by four different NIR instruments, including three miniaturized devices—the Tellspec Enterprise Sensor, the VIAVI solutions MicroNIR 1700 and the Consumer Physics SCiO—working on different technical principles. Three different types of measurement techniques were applied for all instruments (outer shell, rotational device and fruiting body) in order to identify the best results for classification and quality assurance in a non-destructive manner. Results provided differentiation with an accuracy up to 100% for the expensive Tuber melanosporum from Tuber indicum. Classification between Tuber melanosporum, Tuber indicum, Tuber aestivum and Tuber uncinatum could also be achieved with success of 100%. In addition, quality monitoring including discrimination between fresh and frozen/thawed, and prediction of the approximate date of harvesting, was performed. Furthermore, feasibility studies according to the geographical origin of the truffle were attempted. The presented work compares the performance for prediction and quality monitoring of portable vs. benchtop NIR devices and applied measurement techniques in order to be able to present a suitable, accurate, fast, non-destructive and reliable method for consumers.

Performance of benchtop and portable spectroscopy equipment for discriminating Iberian ham according to breed

“…Previous results have shown that microPHAZIR showed a similar or even better discrimination capability than benchtop devices ( Zamora-Rojas et al, 2012 ), which coincides with the results obtained. On the other hand, these results differ from those previously reported by Kappacher et al (2022) who found that better discrimination results from intact samples were obtained with NIRFlex N-500 and MicroNIR 1700. Other studies also indicated that MicroNIR 1700 showed a similar discrimination ability to benchtop devices ( de Lima et al, 2018 ; Liu et al, 2018 ), which does not agree with the results of this study in which the worst results were obtained with this device.…”

“…The Hadamard-transform principle, the Fabry–Perot filter, the micro-optoelectro-mechanical system (MOEMS), and the linear variable filter (LVF) coupled with an array detector or dispersive grating combined with a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) can be mentioned for the optical configurations employing single-element detectors, which lead to different operational wavelength regions, spectral resolution, and signal to-noise ratios ( Beć et al, 2021a , 2021b ). These drawbacks may affect the analytical performance or the applicability to a specific matrix ( Plans et al, 2013 ; Pu et al, 2021 ; Sun et al, 2020 ; Yu et al, 2020 , 2020b; Kappacher et al, 2022 ). In fact, although portable NIR spectroscopy has great potential in the meat sector ( Kademi et al, 2019 ) and this equipment has been used on pork meat and carcasses in order to classify ( Zamora-Rojas et al, 2012 , 2013 ; Horcada et al, 2020 ; Pérez-Marín et al, 2022 ) and predict certain quality parameters such as the basic composition, color, texture, fatty acids, the iodine value, thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS), or stable isotopes ( Garrido-Varo et al, 2016 ; Prieto et al, 2018 ; Piotrowski et al, 2019 ; Kucha and Ngadi, 2020 ; González-Martín et al, 2021 ), only a few portable equipment devices have been studied.…”

Food authentication: truffle species classification by non-targeted lipidomics analyses using mass spectrometry assisted by ion mobility separation

“…However, all of these approaches are quite time-consuming or require special laboratory infrastructure. The only exception is the recording of near infrared (NIR) spectra, 19,20 which, though, cannot unambiguously identify potential marker compounds that can be used to develop a rapid test.…”

New preservation and detection technologies for edible mushrooms: A review

“…Near‐infrared spectroscopy is used for the taxonomic identification of mushrooms and detection of adulteration is also very effective. Kappacher et al 149 . showed that the NIR technique can identify different black truffle species with up to 100% accuracy.…”