Method of determining histamine concentration in fish
AssigneesThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture, Headwall Photonics, Inc.
InventorsMoon S. Kim, Kuanglin Chao, David P. Bannon
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Abstract
A histamine concentration level of a fish item is determined by illuminating the fish and analyzing the resulting spectral image data. Specifically, an algorithm is applied to the fish image data so that a histamine concentration value is calculated for every pixel of the fish image. A corresponding histamine concentration image of the fish is produced based on the collective histamine concentration values. The fish is accepted or rejected based on the collective histamine concentration values and/or the histamine concentration image. The histamine concentration image may be used to identify specific parts of a fish fillet that exceed (or do not exceed) a predetermined histamine concentration level.
Claims19
A method of distinguishing wholesome fish from unwholesome fish, the method comprising:
- (a) illuminating a fish item;
- (b) acquiring a hyperspectral reflectance fish image data,
- (c) within the hyperspectral fish image, selecting reflectance intensity data associated with a first light waveband (designated HC1), and a second light waveband (designated HC2), wherein the HC1 and HC2 are selected from the hyperspectral fish image;
- and,
- (d) applying an algorithm comprising HC1 and HC2 to the hyperspectral fish image to distinguish wholesome fish from unwholesome fish;
- wherein, in step (d), the algorithm comprises:
- (e) calculating a reflectance intensity ratio (designated HCR) for each fish pixel within the hyperspectral fish image, so that HCR=HC2/HC1;
- (f) comparing HCR values for each fish pixel to a database and thereby determining a histamine concentration value indicated by each fish pixel;
- and,
- (g) distinguishing wholesome fish from unwholesome fish based on the collective histamine concentration values derived in step (f).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.