Rapid evaluation of Curcuma origin and quality based on E-eye, flash GC e-nose, and FT-NIR combined with machine...

Curcuma, a key ingredient in curry and a popular health supplement, has been subject to adulteration and fraudulent origin labeling. In this study, E-eye, Flash GC e-nose, and FT-NIR, combined with machine learning and multivariate algorithms, were employed for origin identification and quantitative prediction of curcuma constituents. The results indicated that E-eye performed poorly in origin classification, while Flash GC e-nose identified flavor markers distinguishing curcuma from different origins but lacked precise quantification. After processing the FT-NIR spectra with SNV, the accuracy of three machine learning models, including SVM, increased from 83.3 % to 100 %. Additionally, PLSR models for three constituents, including curcumin, achieved mean R² values exceeding 0.99 in both training and prediction sets, demonstrating excellent linearity and predictive accuracy. Overall, the study demonstrated that FT-NIR combined with multivariate algorithms provides an effective and feasible method for rapid origin identification and quality assessment of curcuma.