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 $1^{st}$ and $2^{nd}$ 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.