Northern-Ireland researchers have compared the performance of 3 NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy) instruments in the authentication of coriander seed. The iS50 NIRS benchtop instrument, the portable Flame-NIR and the handheld SCiO device were assessed in conjunction with chemometric analysis in order to determine their predictive capabilities and use as quantitative tools. Two hundred authentic coriander seed samples and 90 adulterated samples were analysed on each device. All instruments correctly predicted 100% of the adulterated samples. The best models resulted in correct predictions of 100%, 98.5% and 95.6% for authentic coriander samples using spectra from the iS50, Flame-NIR and SCiO, respectively. The development of regression models highlighted the limitations of the Flame-NIR and SCiO for quantitative analysis, compared to the iS50. However, in terms of sensitivity, robustness and cost, the Flame-NIR and SCiO instruments can be considered as excellent on-site screening tools when combined with confirmatory testing.
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