Application of Hyperspectral Imaging for Rapid and Nondestructive Detection of Paraffine-Contaminated Rice

The emergence of paraffin-coated rice in China, aimed at enhancing its market appeal and achieving a translucent appearance, has given rise to a significant global food safety concern. This situation poses substantial health risks to consumers. Hyperspectral analysis, recognized as a powerful and nondestructive technique for assessing food quality and safety, offers a potential solution. This study conducted a comprehensive investigation using Visible-Near Infrared (VIS-NIR) hyperspectral imaging systems operating within the 400-1000 nm range to identify paraffin-contaminated rice. Various rice varieties from diverse regions were obtained and intentionally tainted with varying levels of paraffin. Imaged samples were further preprocessed for spectral data extraction from individual rice seeds’ regions of interest (ROI). The dataset encompassed 3000 spectral records obtained from both non-contaminated and contaminated samples. The obtained spectral data were employed to develop partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and principal component linear discriminant analysis. The primary goal was to discriminate between contaminated and non-contaminated rice samples effectively. Notably, the results indicated that PLS-DA consistently achieved an accuracy exceeding 94% across various preprocessing techniques. Overall, this study showcased the potential of combining hyperspectral imaging with chemometrics to detect paraffin-contaminated rice seeds, providing a valuable contribution to food safety assessment in the industry.