On-line analysis of intact olive fruits by vis–NIR spectroscopy: Optimisation of the acquisition parameters

In the last years, the potential of NIRS for quantitative and qualitative analysis of olives fruits and oils has been investigated. However, limited work has been published about the on-line implementation of NIR spectroscopy in this sector. NIRS application at factory level (olive mills) is desirable. However, prior its implementation, many parameters related to the on-line spectrum acquisition, must be studied and optimised. In this paper, the influence of parameters such as focal distance and integration time has been studied. On-line spectral measurements were performed on intact olives in the spectral range of 380–1690 nm using a diode array spectrometer located on the top of a conveyor belt. The statistical criteria used to evaluate the spectral repeatability for each level of parameters considered were the standard deviation (SD) of the log (1/R) values and the root mean square statistics (RMS). Results demonstrated that for on-line control of olives in movement, spectra acquisition process was more affected by the focal distance chosen than by the integration time used. A focal distance of 13 mm and an integration time of 5 s have been defined as the optimal operational conditions.

► NIR on-line instrument for the monitoring of olive quality parameters.
► Obtention of NIR spectra of samples in movement.
► Analysis of intact olives (no prior milling is necessary).
► Optimisation of parameters related to the on-line spectrum acquisition.