Applied Sciences

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Dr. Yiying Zhao

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Guest Editor

Institute of Digital Agriculture, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Interests: plant phenotyping; quality inspection; spectroscopy and spectral analysis; machine learning

Dr. Wei Wang

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Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Science, Xiamen 361021, China
Interests: environmental pollutant detection; plant phenotyping; heavy metal detection; laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Dr. Lei Zhou

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College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: deep learning; hyperspectral imaging; plant phenotyping

Dr. Chu Zhang

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Guest Editor

School of Information Engineering, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, China
Interests: spectroscopy; spectral imaging; agricultural engineering; food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Under the effect of the plant-based diet trend, plant-based foods have gained widespread popularity. Plant-based foods refer to a variety of products made from fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and pulses, etc. In recent years, spectroscopy technology has received extensive attention in the fields of plants and food. In addition, the development of imaging technology, microscopic equipment, and artificial intelligence has promoted the further application of spectroscopy technology in rapid and non-destructive detection. Noting the rapid expansion in spectroscopy, we are announcing a Special Issue of Applied Sciences entitled "Spectroscopy Applications in Plant and Plant-Based Foods". The aim is to explore the latest progress in applying spectroscopy technology to the quality and safety assessment of plant raw materials, food processing, and food products. Phenotypic information analysis, sensory quality evaluation, nutrient composition detection, microbial metabolism analysis, food functional assessment, contamination detection, etc., are encouraged. The optimization of analytical equipment and platforms, as well as innovative applications of analytical techniques and methods, are also welcomed.

Dr. Yiying Zhao
Dr. Wei Wang
Dr. Lei Zhou
Dr. Chu Zhang
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

visible and near-infrared spectroscopy
mid-infrared spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy
laser spectroscopic detection
multispectral and/or hyperspectral imaging
artificial intelligence and machine learning
quality and safety evaluation
novel analytical techniques and methods

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2992 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rapid Discrimination of Organic and Non-Organic Leafy Vegetables (Water Spinach, Amaranth, Lettuce, and Pakchoi) Using VIS-NIR Spectroscopy, Selective Wavelengths, and Linear Discriminant Analysis

by Yinggeng Wu, Bing Wu, Yao Ma, Meizhu Wang, Qi Feng and Zhiping He

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(21), 11830; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app132111830 - 29 Oct 2023

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Abstract

Organic leafy vegetables face challenges related to potential substitution with non-organic products and vulnerability to dehydration and deterioration. To address these concerns, visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VIS-NIR) combined with linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was employed in this study to rapidly distinguish between organic and non-organic leafy vegetables. The organic category includes organic water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forsskal), amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. ramosa Hort.), and pakchoi (Brassica rapa var. chinensis (Linnaeus) Kitamura), while the non-organic category consists of their four non-organic counterparts. Binary classification was performed on the reflectance spectra of these vegetables’ leaves and stems, respectively. Given the broad range of the VIS-NIR spectrum, stability selection (SS), random forest (RF), and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to evaluate the importance of the wavelengths selected by genetic algorithm (GA). According to the GA-selected wavelengths and their SS-evaluated values and locations, the significant bands for leaf spectra classification were identified as 550–910 nm and 1380–1500 nm, while 750–900 nm and 1700–1820 nm were important for stem spectra classification. Using these selected bands in the LDA classification, classification accuracies of over 95% were achieved, showcasing the effectiveness of utilizing the proposed method to rapidly identify organic leafy vegetables and the feasibility and potential of using a cost-effective spectrometer that only contains necessary bands for authenticating. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopy Applications in Plant and Plant-Based Foods)

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Review

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16 pages, 1041 KiB

Open AccessReview

Current Status and Economic Prospects of Alternative Protein Sources for the Food Industry

by Fábio Medeiros, Ricardo S. Aleman, Lucia Gabríny, Seung Woon You, Roberta Targino Hoskin and Marvin Moncada

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 3733; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app14093733 - 27 Apr 2024

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Abstract

The rising demand for novel and alternative protein (AP) sources has transformed both the marketplace and the food industry. This solid trend is driven by social awareness about environmental sustainability, fair food production practices, affordability, and pursuit of high-quality nutritional sources. This short review provides an overview of key aspects of promising AP sources (plants, algae, insects, fungi and cultured protein) as well as the economic potential, prospects, and operational challenges of this market. The low environmental performance of livestock production, associated with high GHG emissions and land use, can be overcome by less resource-intensive AP production. However, despite the forecasted expansion and improved economic viability, key challenges such as regulatory concerns, consumer acceptance and product functionality still need to be addressed. While the consumption and production of plant-based products are relatively well established, research and development efforts are needed to remediate the main commercialization and manufacturing issues of unprecedented protein sources such as cultured protein and the emerging edible insects sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopy Applications in Plant and Plant-Based Foods)

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