Food-processing relies on near-infrared spectroscopy

There is inherent variability in the chemical composition of fruits, vegetables, and meat, which cannot be detected by color, shape, touch, or smell. Near-Infrared technology can identify and distinguish products based on their chemical composition. Hence, it is used for the processing of plant foods in the selection of raw materials to process control, ensure quality standards, and prevent adulteration. Near-Infrared SpectroscopyNear-infrared (NIR) is a portion of the light that lies next to the red color in the visible spectrum. It can detect the chemical bonds between the atoms in the organic compounds (i.e. the carbon-based compounds), which make up plants. Hence, these compounds will absorb, reflect, or transmit varying amounts of NIR based on their composition. This property is called spectroscopy. However, each compound will respond to only a particular wavelength within the NIR, so scientists have to identify this wavelength for each compound (see Figure 2) Then, NIR spectroscopy can be used to identify chemicals within a sample and the amounts in which are present. Food ProcessingThe ability to detect chemical composition is increasingly being used to help in the processing of food. Modern food products meant for the market need to be of uniform quality and standard. This can be difficult if only the external parameters of fruits or meat are used. NIR spectroscopy, which provides detailed information on the internal characteristics, has many applications. The parameters analyzed by NIR in plant-based foods are: dry matter, total soluble sugar (BRIX), titratable acidity, and water content as parameters. To this end, NIR spectrometers are used in factories before, during, and after processing. In the case of fruits, the NIR examination of food needs to start at farms.   Fruit ProcessingFruits are used as fresh produce or made into products like juice, jam, wine, leather, etc. NIR is used to fix the harvest time of fruits so that they have the ideal chemical composition. NIR is also used for quality control of fruits post-harvest. The requirements of the chemical composition will not be the same. Fruits that are processed into jams and wines are measured for sugar content. Fruits used for juice-making need sugars, such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose, but also some acidity. The acids usually measured are ascorbic acid, citric acid, malic acid, and lactic acid. Harvest TimeNIR helps to fix the right time to harvest fruits and vegetables so that they have the desired levels of sugar and dry matter:- If the fruits are non-climacteric, like berries or grapes, BRIX is used to measure the total soluble sugars is used.- In climacteric fruits that will continue to ripen after harves, like apples and mangoes, dry matter content is used to fix harvest time. Research has established that dry matter is a good predictor of the fruit sweetness postharvest. Selection and MonitoringWhen processors get produce from multiple sources, simple portable NIR tools are useful during many steps of selection and monitoring: Fruit Selection: NIR tools help them to assess the sugar content of different batches of fruits. They can then choose to select fruits that are similar in sugar content or mix crops to get optimum quality parameters. Processing: During juice production, producers have to ensure that they reach the strict standards of sugar and acidity prescribed by the juice industry. During processing, the amount of water content can also be monitored easily by NIR. Drying: In the case of dry fruit production, like with raisins, it is the moisture content that is important before and during the drying process. There is 60 to 96% of water content in fruits, depending on the type of fruit. During processing, this high level of moisture is reduced. Maintaining Quality Standards: NIR is also used to ensure that the levels of adulterants are below acceptable standards, as adulteration with cheap substitutes is a common problem. FELIX INSTRUMENTS has a range of Quality Meters that can measure dry matter, BRIX, external and internal color, titrable acidity, and moisture content. The tools have a GPS, so they can be used with Fruit Maps and benefit from local information about crops. The F-750 Produce Quality Meter is a universal tool that can be used for several fruits and vegetables. Below are other tools which have been customized for use for specific fruits:- F-751-Avo Avocado Quality Meter- F-751 Kiwi Quality Meter- F-751-Mango Quality Meter