Apple chips moisture analysis made easy with near-infrared spectroscopy


Date:
November 10, 2021
Source:
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences
Summary:
Dried snack foods such as apple chips are a convenient
alternative to fresh fruit, providing longer shelf life and
easier storage. Consumers increasingly demand product variety, so
companies coat such snack foods with fruit and vegetable powders to
enhance taste and sensory appeal. A new study explores the drying
process of coated and uncoated apple chips using near-infrared
(NIR) spectroscopy to measure moisture content in real time. NIR
technology greatly enhances the speed and accuracy of measurements,
the researchers say.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Dried snack foods such as apple chips are a convenient alternative to
fresh fruit, providing longer shelf life and easier storage. Consumers increasingly demand product variety, so companies coat such snack foods
with fruit and vegetable powders to enhance taste and sensory appeal.


==========================================================================
A new study from the University of Illinois explores the drying process
of coated and uncoated apple chips using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy
to measure moisture content in real time. NIR technology greatly enhances
the speed and accuracy of measurements, the researchers say.

The purpose of coating is to make dried apple chips more functional and nutritional, as well as more appealing to eat, explains Ragya Kapoor,
graduate student in Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) at U of I
and lead author on the paper.

"The idea is to get school-aged children to include apple chips in
their diet.

We use a cranberry powder coating to make the apple slices more attractive
in terms of color and taste," Kapoor says. "We dip the apple slices
in a liquid- based solution for 60 seconds twice, and then conduct the
hot air-drying operation." The researchers check the moisture content
at various points throughout the drying process with miniature NIR
spectroscopy to ensure the chips are dry enough.

NIR technology offers many advantages compared to standard monitoring techniques, says Mohammed Kamruzzaman, assistant professor in the
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) at U of I
and co-author on the paper.



==========================================================================
"In traditional methods, you take samples from the production for lab
analysis.

The process takes at least 24 hours, the samples are destroyed, and some analyses require harsh chemicals," Kamruzzaman notes.

NIR spectroscopy takes a few seconds, does not require the removal of
samples, and uses no chemicals.

"NIR is highly accurate, it is very fast, does not destroy the
samples, and does not use chemicals. It is sustainable, green
technology. Traditional lab techniques need experts to handle the
equipment and interpret the data. NIR is easy to use, and almost anyone
can handle the instrument and take the measurement with just a few minutes
of training. And the equipment is small and portable." NIR works by
scanning the product with invisible light, Kamruzzaman explains.

"With our eyes we can see the size, shape and color of food, but we
cannot see the nutritional composition. The near-infrared light reads
the chemical bonds in the food, so you can analyze any biological matter
and determine features such as moisture content, protein, fat, fiber,
or carbohydrates. The NIR spectroscopy will give you many data points;
we extract the data and use machine learning to interpret the results,"
he states.



==========================================================================
"The combination of NIR spectroscopy and machine learning is very
powerful." Kapoor, Kamruzzaman, and study co-authors Amir Malvandi,
graduate student in ABE, and Hao Feng, professor of food and bioprocess engineering at U of I, had two main research goals. They wanted to explore edible coating on apple slices and test the use of NIR spectroscopy to
monitor the drying process for coated versus uncoated slices.

"The moisture content is different for coated and uncoated samples,
and we wanted to see how drying behavior differs for them. We found that
with NIR technology we are able to differentiate between the two samples
based solely on the difference in their composition," Kapoor explains.

The researchers say NIR spectroscopy can greatly enhance production
efficiency.

"NIR allows you to see your product's changing moisture content in
real time.

You can continuously monitor the drying process, observe the amount of
dry matter, and decide the right time to stop," Kamruzzaman states.

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Department
of Agricultural and Biological Engineering are in the College of
Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois.

The paper, "Real-time moisture monitoring of edible coated apple
chips during hot air drying using miniature NIR spectroscopy and
chemometrics," is published in LWT -- Food Science and Technology [https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.lwt.2021.112602].

The study was supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative
(AFRI) awards # 2018-67017-27913 and # AG 2018-68006-28097 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the USDA-NIFA,
Hatch project ILLU-741-334.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Illinois_College_of_Agricultural,_Consumer and_Environmental_Sciences. Original written by Marianne Stein. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Ragya Kapoor, Amir Malvandi, Hao Feng, Mohammed
Kamruzzaman. Real-time
moisture monitoring of edible coated apple chips during hot air
drying using miniature NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics. LWT,
2022; 154: 112602 DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2021.112602 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211110131542.htm

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