Konica Minolta Sensing Americas Inc. to release SpectraMagic™ NX2

Ramsey, New Jersey (10/2/2023) – Konica Minolta Sensing Americas is pleased to introduce our latest software advancement SpectraMagic™ NX2! This powerful and user-friendly solution enhances how you measure, analyze, and manage the colorimetric data of your targets and samples.

SpectraMagic™ NX2 features an updated interface that provides easy-to-understand quality evaluation results. It also has simple canvas designs for data and graphical representations. With this software, you can perform color difference calculations and pass/fail assessments using standard or customized evaluation formulas to identify color inconsistencies and determine if the sample meets the defined color standard.

Moreover, SpectraMagic™ NX2 allows for selectable automatic data export to a *.csv file after each measurement for implementation into ERP systems. You can also use QC Templates for multi-location fleet management, which are easy to set up and use.

SpectraMagic NX2 works with Konica Minolta instruments to provide detailed analysis of a sample's color. SpectraMagic NX2 can be used in almost any industry, including food, plastics, paint, and cosmetics. SpectraMagic NX2 can measure samples in any of eight universally accepted color spaces. It can also configure up to eight customized color equations.

New features found in SpectraMagic NX2 pro include:

  • Measurement values with multiple observation conditions can be displayed
  • QC template can be communicated easily with stakeholders about measurement settings
  • It is possible to display industry-specific indexes such as Whiteness Index and Yellowness Index

Spectra Magic NX2 will optimize your color control workflow, making daily tasks more efficient and productive. Visit our website at https://sensing.konicaminolta.us/us/products/spectramagic-nx2-color-data-software/ to learn more and schedule a personalized demo with our team today. For a limited time, Konica Minolta Sensing Americas will have a 15% trade-up offer!

Company profile of Konica Minolta Sensing Americas
Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, Inc. (KMSA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta, Inc., Sensing Business Unit is recognized as the international leader of industrial color and light measurement. The company is responsible for product lines that continuously revolutionize how visual perception is measured by the world.

Konica Minolta Sensing Americas' Ramsey, New Jersey corporate headquarters is fully equipped with a state of the art service center, technical support center, and a focused sales force dedicated to both the North American and South American regions. When it comes to color and light measurement, the world looks to Konica Minolta.

Contact:
Peter J Roos

Marketing Manager
Konica Minolta Sensing Americas
Phone: (201) 236-4300
Toll Free: (888) 473-2625
Web: https://sensing.konicaminolta.us
Email: marketing.sus@konicaminolta.com

 

Terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged

by Professional Services

Detecting Food Fraud Using Hyperspectral Imaging: A Cutting-Edge Solution

Food fraud is a pervasive issue affecting the entire global food supply chain, posing risks to consumers' health, and undermining the industry's integrity. Unscrupulous practices such as mislabeling, adulterating, and substituting food products continue to challenge food safety authorities and producers. To combat this growing concern, innovative technologies like hyperspectral imaging are emerging as a powerful tool in detecting and preventing food fraud. In this blog post, we will explore how hyperspectral imaging can revolutionize the fight against food fraud and ensure the authenticity and safety of our food.

Understanding Hyperspectral Imaging

Hyperspectral imaging involves capturing and analyzing a wide range of electromagnetic wavelengths across the visible, near-infrared (NIR), and infrared (IR) spectra. Unlike traditional imaging techniques that rely on color or RGB data, hyperspectral imaging provides a detailed spectral profile for each pixel in an image, offering a wealth of information about the composition and characteristics of an object.

 Detecting Food Fraud with Hyperspectral Imaging

  1. Authenticity Verification: Hyperspectral imaging can verify the authenticity of food products by analyzing their spectral fingerprints. Each food item has a unique spectral signature, which can act as a reference to detect adulteration or substitution. Comparing the acquired spectral data of a sample against a database of authentic samples allows the identification of inconsistencies and deviations, flagging potential instances of fraud.
  2. Quality Assessment: Food fraud involves misrepresentation and can also encompass the intentional degradation of food quality. Hyperspectral imaging can assess various quality attributes, such as ripeness, freshness, and nutritional composition. By examining the spectral signatures of different quality grades, the system can quickly determine if a product meets the specified quality standards or is compromised.
  3. Packaging and Labeling Verification: By analyzing the spectral characteristics of packaging materials and printed labels, the technology can identify counterfeit packaging or labels that do not match the product's contents. This capability helps prevent mislabeling, misleading claims, and unauthorized use of brand identities.

Benefits of Hyperspectral Imaging in Food Fraud Detection

  1. Non-destructive Analysis: Hyperspectral imaging allows for non-destructive analysis, meaning examining food products without altering their integrity or rendering them unfit for sale. This is especially important when dealing with high-value or limited-supply products.
  2. Rapid and Objective Analysis: The technology enables rapid analysis of large quantities of food samples, reducing the time and effort required for manual inspections. Additionally, hyperspectral imaging provides objective and quantitative data, minimizing human error and subjectivity in the detection process.
  3. Enhancing Consumer Trust: The industry can strengthen consumer trust and confidence by utilizing hyperspectral imaging to identify and prevent food fraud. Ensuring the authenticity and safety of food products demonstrates a commitment to transparency, quality, and consumer protection.

The battle against food fraud requires a multi-layered approach that combines regulations, testing protocols, and innovative technologies. Hyperspectral imaging presents an innovative solution for detecting and preventing food fraud, enabling producers and regulators to make informed decisions based on accurate and reliable data. As technology advances, it can transform the food industry, mitigating risks, safeguarding public health, and upholding the integrity of our global food supply chain.

 

by Mary-Anne Milne

Fat Content In Ground Meat

Quality control is crucial in the food industry. Monitoring the product’s nutritive property protects and increases a brand’s reputation. Fat content is one of the properties consumers look at when buying meat. Its quantitative level needs to be precisely documented. Also, monitoring the fat content while transforming meat plays a cost-effective role. New automation technologies are therefore required to improve brand competitiveness.

For this study, five meat samples were obtained and mixed to create ten samples for analysis. To know their fat content accurately, Specim ordered measurements from a 3rd party laboratory, Seilab. According to the Gerber method, they are certified in fat analysis, using a butyrometer (Seilab in Seinäjoki, Finland; method NMKL 181, 2005; see Table 1 below).

Measured value by Seilab Measured value by FX17
Sample 1 0.6% 0.9%
Sample 2 16% 15.2%
Sample 3 * 10% 10.4%
Sample 4 * 18% 20.8%
Sample 5 75% 75.1%
Sample 6 (mix) 3% 2.7%
Sample 7 (mix) 6% 5.5.%
Sample 8 (mix) 11% 12.8%
Sample 9 (mix) 19% 19.0%
Sample 10 (mix) 24% 23.5%

Table 1: fat content on each sample included in this study. Samples 3 and 4 were used for validation purposes.

We measured the samples with Specim FX17 hyperspectral camera (Fig.1). Hyperspectral imaging is a non-destructive method that combines spectroscopy and imaging. It collects NIR spectra for each pixel of the acquired image (900 – 1700 nm). Those can be converted into fat content employing relevant processing algorithms. Here a regression model was built and calibrated on eight samples and applied to the two remaining ones (indicated with * in Table 1).

 

Specim_FX_17Meat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1: FX17 on the 40×20 scanner (left) and example of a sample on the scanner sample tray (right).

Table 1 and Fig. 2 show the regression model results. It indicates that the FX17 is a suitable tool for measuring the fat content in ground meat.

Regression-Plot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2: Regression plot of the quantitative model for fat content prediction. Red dots relate to calibration samples, whereas green ones relate to validation samples.

In addition to measuring the fat content in samples, hyperspectral imaging is suitable for measuring its distribution (Fig.3).

Spectral-Image-Fat-Distribution

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusions:

Specim FX17 in machine vision systems will provide meat transformers with crucial and accurate fat quantification information. This fast and non-destructive method is also suitable for detecting other properties such as moisture and freshness. Furthermore, this method can sort contaminants such as pieces of wood and plastics. FX17 is a perfect tool for industrial quality control. Besides, the methods’ flexibility allows a fast adaptation to new regulations.

Hyperspectral imaging offers cost reduction and quick adaptation to new regulations by providing real-time information about the manufacturing process for decision-making and real-time control of meat processing factory input and output within specification.

by Mary-Anne Milne