Summary
This paper, published in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, evaluates the performance of portable NIR and XRF instruments as rapid, non-destructive tools for measuring micronutrient content in foods. The validation approach likely involved comparing sensor-derived mineral estimates against established wet-chemistry or ICP-based reference values across multiple food types. The study contributes methodological evidence relevant to the feasibility of deploying low-cost, field-deployable sensors for food quality monitoring and nutrient surveillance.
UK applicability
While the study's geographic scope is not confirmed from the metadata alone, the validation of portable sensing technologies for micronutrient measurement is broadly applicable to UK food supply chain monitoring, nutrient profiling initiatives, and efforts to assess dietary mineral adequacy in the context of soil health and food quality policy.
Key measures
Micronutrient concentrations (e.g. Fe, Zn, Ca, Mg in mg/kg); sensor prediction accuracy (R², RMSEP, bias) compared to reference analytical methods
Outcomes reported
The study assessed the accuracy and reliability of portable near-infrared (NIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) sensors for quantifying micronutrient concentrations in food samples, comparing sensor readings against reference laboratory methods. It likely reported validation statistics such as correlation coefficients, root mean square error of prediction, and bias across a range of food matrices and mineral elements.
Topic tags
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