Spectroscopy, a Tool for the Non-Destructive Sensory Analysis of Plant-Based Foods and Beverages: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the popularity of plant-based products due to various reasons, such as ethical concerns, environmental sustainability, and health benefits. Sensory analysis is a powerful tool for evaluating the human appreciation of food and drink products. To link the sensory evaluation to the chemical and textural compositions, further quantitative analyses are required. Unfortunately, due to the destructive nature of sensory analysis techniques, quantitative evaluation can only be performed on samples that are different from those ingested. The quantitative knowledge of the analytical parameters of the exact sample ingested would be far more informative. Coupling non-destructive techniques, such as near-infrared (NIR) and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) spectroscopy, to sensory evaluation presents several advantages. The intact sample can be analyzed before ingestion, providing in a short amount of time matrices of quantitative data of several parameters at once. In this review, NIR and imaging-based techniques coupled with chemometrics based on artificial intelligence and machine learning for sensory evaluation are documented. To date, no review article covering the application of these non-destructive techniques to sensory analysis following a reproducible protocol has been published. This paper provides an objective and comprehensive overview of the current applications of spectroscopic and sensory analyses based on the state-of-the-art literature from 2000 to 2023.

Non-destructive Near-infrared Hyperspectral Imaging in Food Technologies with a Focus on Monitoring Seed Viability

“…The near infrared hyperspectral imaging is applicable to solid samples as well as liquid samples, thus the variety of its applications in food technologies to a large range of food products. Several studies using the near infrared hyperspectral technology have contributed to various areas of food technologies including food quality control and authentication (18,19,20,21), food safety assessment (22,23,24,25), food process monitoring and optimization (26,27,28), food shelf-life prediction (29,30), food ingredients analysis (31,32), food allergens detection (33,34), and food sorting and grading (35). These research works showed that NIR-HSI covers notable areas of food technologies.…”

Classification of Popcorn (Zea mays var. everta) Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Assess Zearalenon Risk Mitigation Strategies

“…Fast, non-destructive near-infrared spectroscopy is already widely used in the agrifood and agricultural sectors, offering the advantage of promoting sustainable agriculture by eliminating the need for chemical reagents, minimizing environmental impact, and ensuring resource-efficient farming practices [14]. It is a vibrational spectroscopy that studies the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and chemical bonds in matter [15].…”