Hyperspectral imaging system for monitoring agricultural products during processing and manufacturing

1. A method for monitoring a manufacturing process of an agricultural product, the method utilizing hyperspectral imaging and comprising:

(a) scanning at least one region along a sample of agricultural product using at least one light source of a single or different wavelengths;

(b) generating hyperspectral images from the at least one region;

(c) determining a spectral fingerprint for the sample of agricultural product from the hyperspectral images; and

(d) comparing the spectral fingerprint obtained in step (c) to a spectral fingerprint database containing a plurality of fingerprints obtained at various points of the manufacturing process, using a computer processor, to determine to which point in the manufacturing process the sample has progressed.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

scanning multiple regions along the sample of agricultural product using at least one light source of a single or different wavelengths; and

generating hyperspectral images from the multiple regions.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a physicochemical code for the sample.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manufacturing process produces an agricultural product with desirable sensory attributes.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising determining one or more features of a spectral fingerprint that correspond to the desirable sensory attributes.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the agricultural product is tobacco and the manufacturing process is a fermentation process.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the method determines the time required to complete the fermentation process for the tobacco sample.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the agricultural product is tobacco and the manufacturing process is a tobacco aging process.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method determines the time required to complete the tobacco aging process for the tobacco sample.

10. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

correlating one or more features of the spectral fingerprint of the sample of the agricultural product to the desirable sensory attributes.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one light source is positioned to minimize the angle of incidence of each beam of light with the sample.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one light source for providing a beam of light comprises a light source selected from the group consisting of a tungsten light source, a halogen light source, a xenon light source, a mercury light source, an ultraviolet light source, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repeating steps (a), (b), and (c) for a plurality of samples of agricultural product.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, prior to step (d):

storing data about the spectral fingerprints of the plurality of samples of agricultural product within a computer storage means.

15. A system for monitoring the manufacturing of an agricultural product, comprising a computer processor in communication with a hyperspectral imaging apparatus, the computer processor having a program stored on a computer-storage means within the computer processor, which program is executable to conduct the method according to claim 1 .

16. A method for determining the stage of processing for an agricultural product, the method utilizing hyperspectral imaging and comprising:

(a) scanning multiple regions along a sample of a desirable agricultural product using at least one light source of different wavelengths;

(b) generating hyperspectral images from the multiple regions;

(c) forming a spectral fingerprint for the sample from the hyperspectral images; and

(d) correlating the spectral fingerprint obtained in step (c) to a spectral fingerprint database containing a plurality of fingerprints obtained at various points of processing, using a computer processor, to determine the stage of processing.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

(e) storing data about the spectral fingerprint within a computer storage means; and

(f) repeating steps (a), (b), (c), and (d) using a plurality of samples.

18. A system for determining the stage of processing for an agricultural product, comprising a computer processor in communication with a hyperspectral imaging apparatus, the computer processor having a program stored on a computer-storage means within the computer processor, which program is executable to conduct the method according to claim 17 .

19. A method of determining the stage of processing for a product, the method comprising:

resolving whether a sample of a product meets a desired sensory attribute for the product and if so, applying hyperspectral imaging analysis and theoretic analysis to establish a relationship P comprising unique spectra of the sample, said unique spectra comprising at least two spectral elements x and y and values thereof;

establishing through hyperspectral imaging analysis a characterization of the sample according to said spectral elements (at least x and y) of said unique spectra P; and

mathematically resolving from said characterization to determine whether the sample achieves the values of said spectral elements of P to determine the progression of the sample through different stages of processing over time.

20. A method for controlling a manufacturing process for producing an agricultural product, the method utilizing hyperspectral imaging and comprising:

(a) obtaining a sample of agricultural product undergoing a manufacturing process, the manufacturing process conducted at one or more predetermined process parameters;

(b) scanning at least one region along the sample of agricultural product using at least one light source of a single or different wavelengths;

(c) generating hyperspectral images from the at least one region;

(d) determining a spectral fingerprint for the sample of agricultural product from the hyperspectral images;

(e) comparing the spectral fingerprint obtained in step (d) to a spectral fingerprint database containing a plurality of fingerprints obtained at various points of the manufacturing process, using a computer processor, to determine the stage of processing; and

(f) adjusting at least one process parameter to optimize the manufacturing process.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the manufacturing process produces an agricultural product with desirable sensory attributes.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising determining one or more features of a spectral fingerprint that correspond to the desirable sensory attributes.

23. The method claim 21 , further comprising: correlating one or more features of the spectral fingerprint of the sample of the agricultural product to the desirable sensory attributes.

24. The method of claim 20 , wherein the agricultural product is tobacco and the manufacturing process is a fermentation process.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the method determines the time required to complete the fermentation process for the tobacco sample.

26. The method of claim 20 , wherein the agricultural product is tobacco and the manufacturing process is a tobacco aging process.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the method determines the time required to complete the tobacco aging process for the tobacco sample.

28. The method of claim 20 , wherein the at least one light source is positioned to minimize the angle of incidence of each beam of light with the sample.

29. The method of claim 20 , wherein manufacturing cost is a factor used in step (f).

30. A method of creating a database for controlling a manufacturing process for producing an agricultural product, the method utilizing hyperspectral imaging and comprising:

(a) obtaining a dark image and a reference image for calibration;

(b) analyzing the reference image to obtain calibration coefficients;

(c) obtaining a hyperspectral image for an agricultural sample;

(d) removing dark values and normalizing the agricultural sample image;

(e) applying calibration coefficients to compensate for fluctuations in system operating conditions;

(f) repeating steps (c)-(e) for all agricultural samples at different stages of processing over time;

(g) creating a plurality of hyperspectral sample hypercubes from said hyperspectral images and calibration coefficients obtained in step (f); and

(h) storing said hyperspectral sample hypercubes to form the database.

31. A computer database stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:

a spectral fingerprint database of a plurality of hyperspectral images from one or more reference samples of desired agricultural products, obtained at different points in stages of processing;

one or more spectral fingerprints of a sample of an agricultural product being processed, obtained at one or more points in the stages of processing over time of said agricultural product being processed; and

said non-transitory medium further comprising code executable by a processor and configured to compare and/or correlate the spectral fingerprints of the agricultural products being processed with the spectral fingerprint database to determine the stage of processing over time of the agricultural products being processed.