Non-Destructive Discrimination of Rocket Leaves

Non-destructive optical techniques, in combination with chemometric methods, have been used for rapid determination of the quality of the fruit and vegetable products. This research will focus on the application of non-destructive technologies such as VIS-NIR spectroscopy and hyperspectral images to authenticate fruit and vegetable products obtained with sustainable production techniques. Thanks to these techniques, it is possible to obtain what is called the spectral footprint or fingerprint, which is the result of several factors, including agronomic practices that influence the composition and final quality of each product.

This trial focuses on discrimination of rocket leaves from sustainable agriculture obtained reducing agronomic inputs, and to predict its internal quality. To this end, we measured the reflected radiation, which in the NIR is the result of the molecular vibrations of boundaries C-H, N-H, and O-H. The near-infrared spectra consist of the fundamental molecular absorptions, generally overlapping. After spectra acquisition, we need to process our data through the application of sophisticated statistical approaches like multivariate techniques for either regression or classification purposes.

We expect the results of the research will confirm the capability to discriminate rocket leaves obtained with low agronomic input, increasing the available information for consumers and the authentication tools for growers.