Advancing detection of fungal and mycotoxins contamination in grains and oilseeds: Hyperspectral imaging for enhanced food safety

Grains and oilseeds, including maize, wheat, and peanuts, are essential for human and animal nutrition but are vulnerable to contamination by fungi and their toxic metabolites, mycotoxins. This review provides a comprehensive investigation of the applications of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technologies for the detection of fungal and mycotoxins contamination in grains and oilseeds. It explores the capability of HSI to identify specific spectral features of contamination and emphasized the critical role of sample properties and sample preparation techniques in HSI applications. Additionally, it reveals the challenges posed by the voluminous HSI data generated and discusses the application of sophisticated data processing techniques, including chemometrics methods and machine learning algorithms. The review highlights future research directions focused on refining HSI applications for practical use. Ultimately, this review underscores the potential of integrating HSI with advanced technologies to significantly enhance food safety and quality assurance.