Machine learning-enabled hyperspectral approaches for structural characterization of precooked noodles during refrigerated storage

The structural features of precooked noodles during refrigerated storage were non-destructively characterized using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technology along with conventional analytical methods. The precooked noodles displayed a more rigid texture and restricted water mobility over the storage period, derived from the recrystallization of starch. Dimensionality reduction techniques revealed robust correlations between the storage duration and HSI absorbance of the noodles, and from their loading plots, the specific peaks of the noodles related to their structural changes were identified at wavelengths of around 1160 and 1400 nm. The strong relationships between the HSI results of the noodles and their storage period/texture were confirmed by training four machine learning models on the HSI data. In particular, the support vector algorithm displayed the best prediction performance for classifying precooked noodles by storage period (98.3% accuracy) and for predicting the noodle texture (R2 = 0.914).