ORIGINAL PAPER Applications of hyperspectral imaging in grains and nuts quality and safety assessment: a review Toktam Mohammadi Moghaddam • Seyed M. A. Razavi • Masoud Taghizadeh Received: 14 July 2012 / Accepted: 19 August 2013 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013 Abstract Quality of foods is generally controlled with traditional methods such as microbiological and chemical tests. However, the necessity of a non-destructive, rapid and accurate on-line method to monitor the product quality and safety is the key topic of many research studies. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has emerged as a powerful tool to handle the afore-mentioned goals. It is a novel technique that combines simultaneous advantages of imaging and spectroscopy. HSI is an analytical method that simultaneously delivers chemical, structural and functional information from the sample. This technique can be used to analyze both individual kernels and bulk samples and simultaneously determine quality parameters of grains and nuts. Nuts and grains are nutrient dense foods with com- plex matrices rich in mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, vegetable proteins, fiber, vitamins, minerals etc. Therefore, nuts and grains are useful dietary sources to decrease the risk of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. In this paper, recent applications of hyperspectral imaging in quality and safety inspection of nuts and grains such as classification, compositions prediction, texture analysis, and detection of varietal impurities, damages, and infections are reviewed. Keywords Hyperspectral imaging Á Grain Á Nut Á Quality Á Spectrum Introduction The term ‘‘grain’’ applies to the genera and species of the grass family (Poaceae) and includes the pseudo-cereals and other cereal grains. Pulses, nuts and seeds are not included. All the grains of the Poaceae family are related both structurally and biochemically. They contain the grain’s starchy endosperm, the bran, and the germ. Typical grains are energy dense and can vary in starch content (typically 50–80 %), depending on the species, origin and environ- mental growing conditions. Cereal grains are those that are typically included in the bread and cereal groups in dietary guidance in most countries [1]. Whole grains are rich in nutrients and phytochemicals with known health benefits. They have high concentrations of dietary fibre, resistant starch, oligosaccharides and antioxidants including trace minerals and phenolic compounds and these compounds have been linked to disease prevention. Other protective compounds in whole grains include phytate, phyto-oestro- gens such as lignan, plant stanols and sterols, and vitamins and minerals. Published whole-grain feeding studies report improvements in biomarkers with whole-grain consump- tion, such as weight loss, blood-lipid improvement, and antioxidant protection [2]. Nuts have constituted a part of mankind’s diet since pre- agricultural times [3]. Nuts are nutrient dense foods. They contain high amounts of protein and fat, mostly unsaturated fatty acids. They are also dense in a variety of other nutrients and provide dietary fibre, vitamins (e.g. folic acid, niacin, vitamin E, and vitamin B6), minerals (e.g. copper, magnesium, potassium, zinc) and many bio-active con- stituents such as antioxidants, phytosterols and other phy- tochemicals [4]. Nuts are now considered as an important component of a healthy diet. Nuts are fatty foods and presumably for this reason, until recently, were ignored or T. Mohammadi Moghaddam Á S. M. A. Razavi (&) Á M. Taghizadeh Department of Food Science and Technology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM), PO Box 91775-1163, Mashhad, Iran e-mail: s.razavi@um.ac.ir 123 Food Measure DOI 10.1007/s11694-013-9148-1