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Validation and transferability study of a method based on near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for the detection and quantification of ergot bodies in cereals

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Abstract

In recent years, near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging has proved its suitability for quality and safety control in the cereal sector by allowing spectroscopic images to be collected at single-kernel level, which is of great interest to cereal control laboratories. Contaminants in cereals include, inter alia, impurities such as straw, grains from other crops, and insects, as well as undesirable substances such as ergot (sclerotium of Claviceps purpurea). For the cereal sector, the presence of ergot creates a high toxicity risk for animals and humans because of its alkaloid content. A study was undertaken, in which a complete procedure for detecting ergot bodies in cereals was developed, based on their NIR spectral characteristics. These were used to build relevant decision rules based on chemometric tools and on the morphological information obtained from the NIR images. The study sought to transfer this procedure from a pilot online NIR hyperspectral imaging system at laboratory level to a NIR hyperspectral imaging system at industrial level and to validate the latter. All the analyses performed showed that the results obtained using both NIR hyperspectral imaging cameras were quite stable and repeatable. In addition, a correlation higher than 0.94 was obtained between the predicted values obtained by NIR hyperspectral imaging and those supplied by the stereo-microscopic method which is the reference method. The validation of the transferred protocol on blind samples showed that the method could identify and quantify ergot contamination, demonstrating the transferability of the method. These results were obtained on samples with an ergot concentration of 0.02 % which is less than the EC limit for cereals (intervention grains) destined for humans fixed at 0.05 %.

Pictures showing a the manual removal of ergot bodies and b the observation by the stereo-microscopic method (official method); c the metallic holder with the reference material, and d the NIR hyperspectral SisuCHEMA instrument

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Acknowledgments

This research was partly funded by the European Commission (EC) through its Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) and under Grant Agreement 211326: CONffIDENCE project (www.conffidence.eu). The information contained in this paper reflects the authors’ views; the EC is not liable for any use of the information contained herein. The authors wish to thank the Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W) for financing the NIR imaging equipment, as well as the technicians who conducted the analyses, Sandrine Mauro, Nicaise Kayoka Mukendi, and Quentin Arnould (CRA-W).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food and Feed Quality Unit (U15), Valorisation of Agricultural Products Department (D4), Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W), Henseval Building, 24 Chaussée de Namur, 5030, Gembloux, Belgium

    Ph. Vermeulen, J. A. Fernández Pierna, P. Dardenne & V. Baeten

  2. Cluster Natural Toxins and Pesticides, RIKILT-Institute of Food Safety, Wageningen UR, P.O. Box 230, 6700, AE, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    H. P. van Egmond

  3. Masterlab Analytical Services, NUTRECO, Veerstraat 38, P.O. Box 1, 5830, MA, Boxmeer, The Netherlands

    J. Zegers

Authors
  1. Ph. Vermeulen
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  2. J. A. Fernández Pierna
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  3. H. P. van Egmond
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  4. J. Zegers
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  5. P. Dardenne
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  6. V. Baeten
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ph. Vermeulen.

Additional information

Published in the topical collection Rapid Detection in Food and Feed with guest editors Rudolf Krska and Michel Nielen.

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Vermeulen, P., Fernández Pierna, J.A., van Egmond, H.P. et al. Validation and transferability study of a method based on near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for the detection and quantification of ergot bodies in cereals. Anal Bioanal Chem 405, 7765–7772 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-013-6775-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-013-6775-7

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