When is NIR Imaging Worth Using in Online Settings

When is NIR Imaging Worth Using in Online Settings  

As mentioned earlier, the first advantage is that online NIR imaging is able to discriminate same-color objects of different chemical composition. This is possibly the NIR HSI property that mostly exploited in online settings to sort objects of diverse chemical composition. 

The third property of NIR imaging is its ability to map areas of varying chemical components in one sample. This property is largely used in laboratory studies, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, but examples are also found in the food industry, sometimes online. 

The fourth property of NIR imaging is that, even if used in reflection it reveals much more information on the internal structure of products than visible light. This is mainly due to the fact that the diffusion coefficient is lower in NIR, and that the light is not altered by pigments at the surface of commodities. This is used for determining the physical traits of the sample or for revealing beneath-skin defects. 

Finally, appropriate combination of molecular chemical information (NIR) and morphological measurements that can be made in the macroscopic image (e.g., shape, optical texture, size) can facilitate the analysis of complex biological objects. This is particularly relevant when objects composed of different color-same compartments are being dealt with (e.g., meat slice) or when the product to be analyzed is made of heterogeneous pieces within a bulk, such as animal feed. 

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