Line-scan hyperspectral imaging techniques for food and agricultural applications

Authors: Qin, Jianwei - Tony Qin; Kim, Moon; Chao, Kuanglin - Kevin Chao; Chan, Diane; Delwiche, Stephen - Steve; CHO, BYOUNG-KWAN - Chungnam National University

Submitted to: Applied Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/18/2017
Publication Date: 1/26/2017
Citation: Qin, J., Kim, M.S., Chao, K., Chan, D.E., Delwiche, S.R., Cho, B. 2017. Line-scan hyperspectral imaging techniques for food and agricultural applications. Applied Sciences. 7(20):125.

Interpretive Summary: Line-scan hyperspectral imaging technology has evolved rapidly during the past 15 years. The line-scan hyperspectral imaging method is well suited for inspection of food and agricultural products, especially for food items moving along processing and production lines. This paper presents line-scan hyperspectral imaging techniques for food and agricultural applications. Emphasis is put on introducing and demonstrating techniques of different physical principles (e.g., reflectance, transmittance, fluorescence, Raman, and spatially resolved spectroscopy) and wavelength ranges (e.g., visible, near infrared, and short-wavelength infrared) for practical uses in food evaluation. The applications in the food and agricultural area are also presented to reveal current practices and future trends of line-scan hyperspectral imaging techniques. This paper provides fundamental and practical information illustrating state-of-the-art line-scan hyperspectral imaging technology, which will benefit researchers who have interest in developing and using the techniques for food safety and quality applications.

Technical Abstract: Hyperspectral imaging technologies in the food and agricultural area have been evolved rapidly during the past 15 years owing to tremendous interest from both academic and industrial fields. Line-scan hyperspectral imaging is a major method that has been intensively researched and developed in different physical principles (e.g., reflectance, transmittance, fluorescence, Raman, and spatially resolved spectroscopy) and wavelength regions (e.g., visible (VIS), near infrared (NIR), and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR)). Line-scan hyperspectral imaging systems are mainly developed and used for surface inspection of food and agricultural products using area or line light sources. The line-scan hyperspectral systems can also be configured to conduct spatially resolved spectroscopy measurements for internal or subsurface food inspection using point light sources. This paper reviews the line-scan hyperspectral imaging techniques, with introduction, demonstration, and summarization of existing and emerging techniques for food and agricultural applications. The main topics include related spectroscopy techniques, line-scan measurement methods, hardware components and systems, system calibration methods, and spectral and image analysis techniques. The applications in the food and agricultural area are also presented to reveal current practices and future trends of the line-scan hyperspectral imaging techniques.