Plant phenotyping plays a crucial role in plant science, agriculture, and crop improvement. It involves collecting and analyzing data about plant and crop traits to gain insights into how they respond to different conditions, how they adapt to stressors, and how they can be optimized for various purposes, such as increasing crop yield, improving resistance to pests and diseases, and enhancing nutrient efficiency. Konica Minolta and its group company, Specim, offer various analytical measurement solutions. These solutions empower researchers and farmers by providing data-driven insights to enhance their understanding of plant behavior, optimize crop management, and promote sustainable and efficient resource utilization. The lineup includes Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus as well as the hyperspectral imaging cameras Specim IQ and Specim FX series, which provide valuable insights into the physiological and biochemical characteristics of plants and crops.

Indoor farming systems like hydroponics and vertical farming offer a controlled environment for growing crops, allowing for precise management of factors such as light, temperature, humidity, and nutrient levels. Among these factors, proper lighting plays a pivotal role in ensuring optimal plant photosynthesis, growth, and development. Konica Minolta has a wide selection of light measurement instruments that can help optimize the lighting systems for maximum plant productivity and resource efficiency. The lineup features the Illuminance Meter T-10A and the Illuminance Spectrophotometer CL-500A. Notably, the CL-500A is capable of measuring Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) and Color Rendering Index (CRI).

Color serves as a crucial indicator in agricultural products across various aspects, ranging from ripeness, freshness, flavor, variety identification, and many more. Konica Minolta has an extensive range of color measurement solutions, notably the Chroma Meter CR-400 and CR-410 and Spectrophotometer CM-5, to cater to multiple applications in the food and agriculture sector, from quality assurance to harvest application. The Chroma Meter CR-400 and CR-410 are portable tristimulus colorimeters ideal for quick color evaluations of agricultural products. The more versatile benchtop Spectrophotometer CM-5 can accurately measure the color of agricultural products in different forms, inclduing powder and beans.

With the need for increased production throughput and stricter quality tolerance, machine vision systems have become the go-to solution for ensuring the quality and safety of crops, livestock, fisheries, and more. At the forefront of these systems is hyperspectral imaging, a powerful technology that can detect defects and abnormalities in agricultural and food products that may go unnoticed by the human eye. Hyperspectral imaging has gained significant recognition within the agriculture and food industry as a well-established method.

Konica Minolta, through its group company Specim, offers a range of laboratory and production hyperspectral systems. Among these, the hyperspectral camera Specim FX Series stands out, as it offers high frame rates capable of matching the speeds of food production lines, often reaching several meters per second. This enables accurate inspection in today’s high-speed agriculture and food production environments.

Precise color measurement of solid foodstuffs, including powders, beans, grains, and food similar products, plays a crucial role in the food industry. It ensures the quality and consistency of food and compliance with regulations, influences consumer perception, optimizes processes, assesses shelf life, and supports research and development. Konica Minolta color measurement solutions are widely utilized in the food industry. Particularly, the Spectrophotometer CM-5 and Chroma meter CR-400 and CR-410 are commonly employed in the development, process control, and quality control of various foods, including flour, pasta, cheese, coffee beans, chocolate, breads, and many more.

Accurately measuring the color of condiments and sauces, like ketchup, mayonnaise, and soy sauce, requires considering their opacity. Translucent condiments and sauces allow diffuse light transmission, and for precise measurements, the Konica Minolta Spectrophotometer CM-5 is ideal as it offers reflectance and transmittance color measurement capabilities. On the other hand, opaque condiments and sauces with high solids content require colorimeters and spectrophotometers for reflectance color measurements. The Konica Minolta Chroma Meter CR-400, CR-410, or Spectrophotometer CM-5 are recommended for such measurements.

Accurate color measurement of beverages, food dyes, and other liquids in the food industry ensures quality, consistency, regulatory compliance, and more. It plays a critical role in ingredient monitoring, process control, research and development, and various other aspects. These liquids can be classified into different categories based on their transparency: opaque, translucent, or transparent. Each category requires a specific color measurement technique, such as reflectance, transmittance, etc., to ensure accurate and reliable color data. Konica Minolta’s color measurement solutions are widely used across various liquid food applications, including juices, dairy drinks, food dyes, and many more. Notably, the versatile Spectrophotometer CM-5 offers multiple color measurement modes, like reflectance, transmittance, etc., and is supported by a wide range of accessories to ensure consistent and controlled liquid sample preparation.

Proper packaging is essential for maintaining the freshness and quality of products and preventing compromise from air or contaminants. Detecting leaks in heat-sealed packages, especially those with printed designs is of utmost importance during production. Hyperspectral imaging has emerged as a reliable method for identifying imperfect seals, even in printed packaging. Konica Minolta and its group company, Specim, offer a range of cutting-edge hyperspectral imaging solutions for various inspection applications. Notably, the Specim FX Series hyperspectral camera provides exceptional spectral resolution, enabling the detection of contamination in heat-sealed packages, even when covered with printed plastic films.

Conventional approaches to studying the chemical composition of food involve laborious manual or laboratory-based analyses that can be time-consuming and may even cause damage to the samples. However, Hyperspectral Imaging presents a non-destructive alternative that offers comprehensive insights into food composition through spectral analysis. Specim, a Konica Minolta group company, has a wide selection of hyperspectral imaging systems covering wavelengths ranging from visible and near-infrared (VNIR) to long-wavelength infrared (LWIR). Among these, the hyperspectral camera Specim IQ and Specim FX Series offer a non-destructive and rapid way to analyze food products for attributes such as moisture content, texture, protein, fat, carbohydrate levels, color, and many more.