Comparison of hyperspectral imaging with conventional RGB imaging for quality evaluation of Agaricus bisporus mushrooms

The potential of hyperspectral imaging in the Vis-NIR range (400–1000 nm) for evaluating the quality of button mushrooms was compared to conventional RGB imaging using a digital colour camera. Regression models were built to correlate hyperspectral and RGB imaging data with measured Hunter L colour values. Prediction maps were generated from both hyperspectral and RGB imaging data to compare performance of the models at pixel level. Results presented showed that hyperspectral imaging is more suitable than conventional RGB imaging for evaluating mushroom quality.

Research highlights
► The enhanced capability of HSI over conventional RGB imaging was demonstrated through development of PLSR and MLR models for mushroom Hunter L-value prediction
► RGB imaging systems are low-cost, easy to use and do not require complicated data analysis; however they tend to be poor identifiers of surface features
► HSI is a much more powerful process analytical tool with a high potential for identifying and discriminating features on the surface of a sample.