Simultaneous prediction of pungency and color values of paprika via LED-induced fluorescence

An accurate yet rapid assessment of pungency and color values is pivotal for the commercial processing of pepper, underscoring the critical need for high-throughput detection techniques. This study investigates a rapid method for determining the pungency and color value of paprika via LED–induced fluorescence spectroscopy. A simultaneous detection instrument was developed with a proposed fluorescence correction method to reduce the impact of excitation light reflected by the sample. The corrected spectra could improve the performance of pungency prediction. The best pungency model achieved a R c 2 of 0.941, R cv 2 of 0.935, RMSEC of 6813.41 SHU and RMSECV of 6959.97 SHU. The best color value model achieved an R c 2 of 0.862, R cv 2 of 0.822 RMSEC of 1.233 and RMSECV of 1.402. This study offers a practical solution for simultaneous quality assessment suitable for industrial deployment, with the potential to extend this methodology to diverse cultivars.