Digital Eyes on Honey - Ensuring Authenticity in the Food Chain

Ensuring honey authenticity has become a priority in the global food industry, as adulteration with cheaper sugars and mislabeling ofbotanical origin undermines consumer confidence and damage producer credibility. Portable near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy andhyperspectral imaging (HSI) technologies provide rapid, non-destructive, and reliable tools for on-site detection of food adulteration. Thisstudy, part of the European project Watson, assessed the performance of several portable NIR and HSI devices across differentmeasurement modes and configurations as part of a pilot in honey. These findings highlight the potential of portable spectroscopictechnologies to enhance the capabilities of regulatory agencies, quality control laboratories, and producers in verifying honey purity andauthenticity.