Search

Rice fraud is one of the common threats to the rice industry. Conventional methods to detect rice adulteration are costly, time-consuming, and tedious. This study proposes the quantitative prediction of rice adulteration levels measured through the packaging using a handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer and electronic nose (e-nose) sensors measuring directly on samples and paired with machine learning (ML) algorithms. For these purposes, the samples were prepared by mixing rice at different ratios from 0% to 100% with a 10% increment based on the rice's weight, consisting of (i) rice from different origins, (ii) premium with regular rice, (iii) aromatic with non-aromatic, and (iv) organic with non-organic rice. Multivariate data analysis was used to explore the sample distribution and its relationship with the e-nose sensors for parameter engineering before ML modeling. Artificial neural network (ANN) algorithms were used to predict the adulteration levels of the rice samples using the e-nose sensors and NIR absorbances readings as inputs. Results showed that both sensing devices could detect rice adulteration at different mixing ratios with high correlation coefficients through direct (e-nose; R = 0.94–0.98) and non-invasive measurement through the packaging (NIR; R = 0.95–0.98). The proposed method uses low-cost, rapid, and portable sensing devices coupled with ML that have shown to be reliable and accurate to increase the efficiency of rice fraud detection through the rice production chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aroma and other physicochemical parameters are important attributes influencing consumer perception and acceptance of rice. However, current methods using multiple instruments and laboratory analysis make these assessments costly and time-consuming. Therefore, this study aimed to assess rice quality traits of 17 commercial rice types using a low-cost electronic nose and portable near-infrared spectrometer coupled with machine learning (ML). Specifically, artificial neural networks (ANN) were used to classify the type of rice and predict rice quality traits (aromas, color, texture, and pH of cooked rice) as targets. The ML models developed showed that the chemometrics obtained from both sensor technologies successfully classified the rice (Model 1: 98.7%; Model 2: 98.6%) and predicted the peak area of aromas obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy found in raw (Model 3: R = 0.95; Model 6: R = 0.95) and cooked rice (Model 4: R = 0.98; Model 7: R = 0.96). Furthermore, a high R = 0.98 was obtained for Model 5 to estimate the color, texture, and pH of cooked rice. The proposed method is rapid, low-cost, reliable, and may help the rice industry increase high-quality rice production and accelerate the adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence to support the rice value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence and intensity of bushfires is increasing due to climate change, resulting in a greater risk of smoke taint development in wine. In this study, smoke-tainted and non-smoke-tainted wines were subjected to treatments using activated carbon with/without the addition of a cleaving enzyme treatment to hydrolyze glycoconjugates. Chemical measurements and volatile aroma compounds were assessed for each treatment, with the two smoke taint amelioration treatments exhibiting lower mean values for volatile aroma compounds exhibiting positive ‘fruit’ aromas. Furthermore, a low-cost electronic nose (e-nose) was used to assess the wines. A machine learning model based on artificial neural networks (ANN) was developed using the e-nose outputs from the unsmoked control wine, unsmoked wine with activated carbon treatment, unsmoked wine with a cleaving enzyme plus activated carbon treatment, and smoke-tainted control wine samples as inputs to classify the wines according to the smoke taint amelioration treatment. The model displayed a high overall accuracy of 98% in classifying the e-nose readings, illustrating it may be a rapid, cost-effective tool for winemakers to assess the effectiveness of smoke taint amelioration treatment by activated carbon with/without the use of a cleaving enzyme. Furthermore, the use of a cleaving enzyme coupled with activated carbon was found to be effective in ameliorating smoke taint in wine and may help delay the resurgence of smoke aromas in wine following the aging and hydrolysis of glycoconjugates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grapevine smoke exposure and the subsequent development of smoke taint in wine has resulted in significant financial losses for grape growers and winemakers throughout the world. Smoke taint is characterized by objectional smoky aromas such as "ashy", "burning rubber", and "smoked meats", resulting in wine that is unpalatable and hence unprofitable. Unfortunately, current climate change models predict a broadening of the window in which bushfires may occur and a rise in bushfire occurrences and severity in major wine growing regions such as Australia, Mediterranean Europe, North and South America, and South Africa. As such, grapevine smoke exposure and smoke taint in wine are increasing problems for growers and winemakers worldwide. Current recommendations for growers concerned that their grapevines have been exposed to smoke are to conduct pre-harvest mini-ferments for sensory assessment and send samples to a commercial laboratory to quantify levels of smoke-derived volatiles in the wine. Significant novel research is being conducted using spectroscopic techniques coupled with machine learning modeling to assess grapevine smoke contamination and taint in grapes and wine, offering growers and winemakers additional tools to monitor grapevine smoke exposure and taint rapidly and non-destructively in grapes and wine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat accounts for more than 50% of Australia's total grain production. The capability to generate accurate in-season yield predictions is important across all components of the agricultural value chain. The literature on wheat yield prediction has motivated the need for more novel works evaluating machine learning techniques such as random forests (RF) at multiple scales. This research applied a Random Forest Regression (RFR) technique to build regional and local-scale yield prediction models at the pixel level for three southeast Australian wheat-growing paddocks, each located in Victoria (VIC), New South Wales (NSW) and South Australia (SA) using 2018 yield maps from data supplied by collaborating farmers. Time-series Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data derived from Planet's high spatio-temporal resolution imagery, meteorological variables and yield data were used to train, test and validate the models at pixel level using Python libraries for (a) regional-scale three-paddock composite and (b) individual paddocks. The composite region-wide RF model prediction for the three paddocks performed well (R2 = 0.86, RMSE = 0.18 t ha−1). RF models for individual paddocks in VIC (R2 = 0.89, RMSE = 0.15 t ha−1) and NSW (R2 = 0.87, RMSE = 0.07 t ha−1) performed well, but moderate performance was seen for SA (R2 = 0.45, RMSE = 0.25 t ha−1). Generally, high values were underpredicted and low values overpredicted. This study demonstrated the feasibility of applying RF modeling on satellite imagery and yielded 'big data' for regional as well as local-scale yield prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice grain arsenic (As) is a major pathway of human dietary As exposure. This study was conducted to reduce rice grain As concentration through microwave (MW) and biochar soil treatment. Collected soils were spiked to five levels of As concentration (As-0, As-20, As-40, As-60, and As-80 mg kg−1) prior to applying three levels of biochar (BC-0, BC-10, and BC-20 t ha−1) and three levels of MW treatment (MW-0, MW-3, and MW-6 min). The results revealed that MW soil treatment alleviates As phytotoxicity as rice plant growth and grain yield increase significantly and facilitate less grain As concentration compared with the control. For instance, the highest grain As concentration (912.90 µg kg−1) was recorded in the control while it was significantly lower (442.40 µg kg−1) in the MW-6 treatment at As-80. Although the BC-10 treatment had some positive effects, unexpectedly, BC-20 had a negative effect on plant growth, grain yield, and grain As concentration. The combination of BC-10 and MW-6 treatment was found to reduce grain As concentration (498.00 µg kg−1) compared with the control (913.7 µg kg−1). Thus, either MW-6 soil treatment alone or in combination with the BC-10 treatment can be used to reduce dietary As exposure through rice consumption. Nevertheless, further study is needed to explore the effectiveness and economic feasibility of this novel technique in field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice quality assessment is essential for meeting high-quality standards and consumer demands. However, challenges remain in developing cost-effective and rapid techniques to assess commercial rice grain quality traits. This paper presents the application of computer vision (CV) and machine learning (ML) to classify commercial rice samples based on dimensionless morphometric parameters and color parameters extracted using CV algorithms from digital images obtained from a smartphone camera. The artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed using nine morpho-colorimetric parameters to classify rice samples into 15 commercial rice types. Furthermore, the ANN models were deployed and evaluated on a different imaging system to simulate their practical applications under different conditions. Results showed that the best classification accuracy was obtained using the Bayesian Regularization (BR) algorithm of the ANN with ten hidden neurons at 91.6% (MSE = <0.01) and 88.5% (MSE = 0.01) for the training and testing stages, respectively, with an overall accuracy of 90.7% (Model 2). Deployment also showed high accuracy (93.9%) in the classification of the rice samples. The adoption by the industry of rapid, reliable, and accurate methods, such as those presented here, may allow the incorporation of different morpho-colorimetric traits in rice with consumer perception studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wine aroma is an important quality trait in wine, influenced by its volatile compounds. Many factors can affect the composition and levels (concentration) of volatile aromatic compounds, including the water status of grapevines, canopy management, and the effects of climate change, such as increases in ambient temperature and drought. In this study, a low-cost and portable electronic nose (e-nose) was used to assess wines produced from grapevines exposed to different levels of smoke contamination. Readings from the e-nose were then used as inputs to develop two machine learning models based on artificial neural networks. Results showed that regression Model 1 displayed high accuracy in predicting the levels of volatile aromatic compounds in wine (R = 0.99). On the other hand, Model 2 also had high accuracy in predicting smoke aroma intensity from sensory evaluation (R = 0.97). Descriptive sensory analysis showed high levels of smoke taint aromas in the high-density smoke-exposed wine sample (HS), followed by the high-density smoke exposure with in-canopy misting treatment (HSM). Principal component analysis further showed that the HS treatment was associated with smoke aroma intensity, while results from the matrix showed significant negative correlations (p < 0.05) were observed between ammonia gas (sensor MQ137) and the volatile aromatic compounds octanoic acid, ethyl ester (r = −0.93), decanoic acid, ethyl ester (r = −0.94), and octanoic acid, 3-methylbutyl ester (r = −0.89). The two models developed in this study may offer winemakers a rapid, cost-effective, and non-destructive tool for assessing levels of volatile aromatic compounds and the aroma qualities of wine for decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires are an increasing problem worldwide, with their number and intensity predicted to rise due to climate change. When fires occur close to vineyards, this can result in grapevine smoke contamination and, subsequently, the development of smoke taint in wine. Currently, there are no in-field detection systems that growers can use to assess whether their grapevines have been contaminated by smoke. This study evaluated the use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a chemical fingerprinting tool, coupled with machine learning, to create a rapid, non-destructive in-field detection system for assessing grapevine smoke contamination. Two artificial neural network models were developed using grapevine leaf spectra (Model 1) and grape spectra (Model 2) as inputs, and smoke treatments as targets. Both models displayed high overall accuracies in classifying the spectral readings according to the smoking treatments (Model 1: 98.00%; Model 2: 97.40%). Ultraviolet to visible spectroscopy was also used to assess the physiological performance and senescence of leaves, and the degree of ripening and anthocyanin content of grapes. The results showed that chemical fingerprinting and machine learning might offer a rapid, in-field detection system for grapevine smoke contamination that will enable growers to make timely decisions following a bushfire event, e.g., avoiding harvest of heavily contaminated grapes for winemaking or assisting with a sample collection of grapes for chemical analysis of smoke taint markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sowing and transplanting dates are important cultivation factors for rice production. Therefore, the present study focused on developing a rice model system that would be able to determine sowing and transplanting dates for diverse cultivars and planting methods in different agro-ecological zones. Different model parameters were integrated into a rice model system on the basis of their interaction effects in this study. The results showed that sowing and transplanting dates designed by the rice model system were approached to the planting dates recommended by local agricultural experts for high yield practices, with root mean squared error (RMSE) of 5.3 to 14.74 days. The model system accurately simulated suitable sowing and transplanting dates under most scenarios with relatively low RMSE, high linear correlation coefficient (R2), and model efficiency (EF). Using the model system recommendations, rice yield under manual transplanting in low fertility soil was increased the most (5.5%), while for direct sowing in high fertility soil, yield increase was modest (0.8%). The newly-developed rice model system can act as a technical approach to design suitable sowing and transplanting dates for achieving high yield and effective crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]