Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman and Hyperspectral Imaging Techniques for Quality Determinations of Powdery Foods: A Review

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) techniques have emerged as reliable analytical methods for effectively characterizing and quantifying quality attributes of different categories of powdery food products (such as milk powder, tea powder, cocoa powder, coffee powder, soybean flour, wheat flour, and chili powder). In addition to the ability for gaining rapid information about food chemical components (such as moisture, protein, and starch), and classifying food quality into different grades, such techniques have also been implemented to determine trace impurities in pure foods and other properties of particulate foods and ingredients with avoidance of extensive sample preparation. Developments of corresponding quality evaluation systems based on FT-IR, Raman, and HSI data that measure food quality parameters and ensure product authentication, would bring about technical and economic benefits to the food industry by enhancing consumer confidence in the quality of its products. Accordingly, a comprehensive review of the mushrooming spectroscopy-based FT-IR, Raman, and HSI literature is carried out in this article. The spectral data collected, the chemometric methods used, and the main findings of recent research studies on quality assessments of powdered materials are discussed and summarized. Providing a review in such a flourishing research field is relevant as a signpost for future study. The conclusion details the promise of how such noninvasive and powerful analytical techniques can be used for rapid and accurate determinations of powder quality attributes in both academical and industrial settings.