Studiedag Free webinar: “Applications of spectral sensors: fast and contactless measurements in agrifood”

Organized by ILVO and Flanders’ FOOD. Supported by VLAIO Industry 4.0 Proeftuinen.

What can you expect?

The goal of this webinar is to show the potential of NIR, IR and hyperspectral sensors and cameras to monitor the quality of foods. While some agrifood companies have already incorporated these technologies, others have not yet started. This webinar makes it easy for companies and sectors to learn from each other. For example, you will see how some have successfully built a robust measuring system - and which practical challenges they encounter. Cases from the animal feed, dairy, meat and plant-based food sectors will be explored, as well as others that could be developed. If you are curious about the feasibility of a possible new application, the Food Pilot offers support in the form of advice, small scale set-ups for testing, and modeling.

Programme

10u00 Welcome – Karen Verstraete (ILVO)

10u05 Introduction – Vincent Baeten (CRA-W)
A short technology overview will be given, with a focus on MIR, NIR and hyperspectral technology. Applications can have very different goals and need their own set-up. Off-line (in the lab) and at-line measurements are mainly applied for quantitative determinations, whereas in-line and on-line measurements can offer fast screenings, categorize products, or detect anomalies. Further, we dive into the practice. How do you start an implementation? Can you use existing calibration curves, and how to build and maintain your own calibration curves?

10u30 The application of NIRS in animal production – Johan De Boever (ILVO)
ILVO has years of expertise in feed evaluation, which is extremely important to meet nutrient requirements of high producing cattle, pigs and poultry for optimal performances and animal health, for farmers income as well as to minimize the impact on the environment. NIRS is already used for half a century for fast and accurate prediction of macro-nutrients content in animal feeds. It is applied in forage breeding and harvesting, evaluation of silages, raw materials and by-products and in-line and end-control of compound feeds. Further, (N)IR is widely used to predict the chemical composition of milk and meat. More recently, NIRS is being used in animal feces to evaluate feed intake and digestion efficiency.

10u45 The use of FT-IR in dairy companies – Hadewig Werbrouck (ILVO)
For 20 years, ILVO has offered access to proficiency testing and has provided control and calibration samples to the Belgian Milk Control Labs and the dairy industry. These services help companies getting uniform and accurate results from the FT-IR. In dairy applications, FT-IR is used to monitor and adjust the production of all sorts of products, like cream, yogurt, whey,…. However, calibration of the FT-IR is necessary to receive accurate results.

11u00 Use of spectroscopic methods in retail – Jan Cromphout (Colruyt Group)
Colruyt Group will explain their experiences with spectroscopic measurements, both in their production facilities as throughout the chain. Applications include screening of raw material upon entrance and authenticity controls of bought products. New applications are also further explored.

11u15 How can you build a product-specific measuring method? Demo: how to develop a new application from scratch – Simon Cool (ILVO)
Soy and quinoa contain high levels of protein, and these crops represent an interesting plant-based protein source for human consumption. Their protein levels can differ, however, depending on the variety, growing conditions, and time of harvest. A fast and contactless measurement approach is needed to determine the protein level of the product. We demonstrate how ILVO has developed this new method of measurement. The procedure includes collecting samples, performing chemical analyses as a reference, testing a series of spectral (NIR, IR and hyperspectral) sensors and cameras, modeling the data, and evaluating the method.

11u35 Inspirational cases and applications – Jonathan Van Beek (ILVO)
We present a selection of inspiring spectral sensor applications for quality estimation in the field of wine, fruits and vegetables, using practical examples and small datasets. We also present possibilities for you to explore hyperspectral data through demonstration data collection.

11u45 End