enabling harvest time optimization and even automated fruit picking using agricultural robots . Following harvest , spectroscopy techniques in the NIR range could be helpful to farmers , consumers , and quality control officers to conduct a rapid nondestructive examination of produce quality . This technique also allows for the detection of pineapple fraud , preventing the mislabeling of conventionally produced fruits as organic fruits .
There are two main methods for analyzing the absorption spectrum of organic materials in the NIR spectrum . The first is diode-arraybased spectroscopy . This uses dispersive grating to separate the light reflected or transmitted from the sample into its wavelength components . Each component is then focused on a different pixel of a linear detector array . This method is considerably fast and can be used for real-time measurements . However , the light throughput of the diode-array spectrometer is inversely proportional to its spectral resolution , which limits its effectiveness . Additionally , the high cost of linear arrays sensitive in the near-infrared region may limit their adoption for certain applications , especially in agriculture and food .
The second method for obtaining an absorption spectrum is Fourier transform interferometry . In this method , the incoming light is split into two paths , with one directed toward a fixed mirror and the other toward a movable mirror .
When these paths are recombined , an interferogram is obtained .
By performing a Fourier transform of this interferogram , the spectrum of the incoming light can be obtained , and with proper calibration , the absorption spectrum of the sample can be determined . In this technique , only a single NIR photodetector is used instead of an array , keeping the cost low .
Hamamatsu ’ s FTIR engine C15511- 01 is a compact Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic module with sensitivity to near-infrared light in the range of 1.1 µ m to 2.5 µ m and features USB connectivity . The advent of portable instruments like this is now moving analysis from lab to field .
To compensate for the light loss due to miniaturization , the FTIR engine has a special design which neutralizes the influence of external vibration and stray light reflections inside the device . The device has continuous internal monitoring using a dedicated laser system to guarantee the highest wavelength reproducibility .
Hamamatsu ’ s FTIR Engine delivers high-sensitivity , high-resolution , and high-speed measurements comparable to larger and more expensive benchtop devices .
Contact us to test our FTIR Engine or visit our product page to learn more about this technology , its applications , and all the other spectroscopy solutions offered by Hamamatsu Photonics .
www . hamamatsu . com / eu / en . html
FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk 43