Non-Destructive Sorting Techniques for Viable Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Seeds Using Fourier Transform Near-Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy

Purpose: This study examined the performance of two spectroscopy methods and multivariate classification methods to discriminate viable pepper seeds from their non-viable counterparts. Methods: A classification model for viable seeds was developed using partial least square discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) with Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) and Raman spectroscopic data in the range of 9080-4150cm⁻¹ (1400-2400 nm) and 1800-970cm⁻¹ , respectively. The datasets were divided into 70% to calibration and 30% to validation. To reduce noise from the spectra and compare the classification results, preprocessing methods, such as mean, maximum, and range normalization, multivariate scattering correction, standard normal variate, and 1ˢᵗ and 2ⁿᵈ derivatives with the Savitzky-Golay algorithm were used. Results: The classification accuracies for calibration using FT-NIR and Raman spectroscopy were both 99% with first derivative, whereas the validation accuracies were 90.5% with both multivariate scattering correction and standard normal variate, and 96.4% with the raw data (non-preprocessed data). Conclusions: These results indicate that FT-NIR and Raman spectroscopy are valuable tools for a feasible classification and evaluation of viable pepper seeds by providing useful information based on PLS-DA and the threshold value.