Optical fiber spectroscopy for food quality and safety applications

A selection of fiber optic and micro-optic spectroscopy-based devices for food quality and safety applications is presented. Direct spectroscopy carried out in the visible and near-infrared bands provided a product fingerprints which were processed by means of multivariate analysis for predicting quality indicators. Chemically-mediated spectroscopy was used to implement sensors or dosimeters for quantifying analytes for food safety monitoring. The paper summarizes sensors designed and tested for application to the most common foodstuffs such as olive oil, milk and dairy products, fish, meat, as well as alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, tequila, whisky, and many others.