In today’s era of increased food consumption, consumers have become more demanding in terms of safety and the quality of products they consume. As a result, food authorities are closely monitoring the food industry to ensure that products meet the required standards of quality. The analysis of food properties encompasses various aspects, including chemical and physical descriptions, sensory assessments, authenticity, traceability, processing, crop production, storage conditions, and microbial and contaminant levels. Traditionally, the analysis of food properties has relied on conventional analytical techniques. However, these methods often involve destructive processes, which are laborious, time-consuming, expensive, and environmentally harmful. In contrast, advanced spectroscopic techniques offer a promising alternative. Spectroscopic methods such as hyperspectral and multispectral imaging, NMR, Raman, IR, UV, visible, fluorescence, and X-ray-based methods provide rapid, non-destructive, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly means of food analysis. Nevertheless, interpreting spectroscopy data, whether in the form of signals (fingerprints) or images, can be complex without the assistance of statistical and innovative chemometric approaches. These approaches involve various steps such as pre-processing, exploratory analysis, variable selection, regression, classification, and data integration. They are essential for extracting relevant information and effectively handling the complexity of spectroscopic data. This review aims to address, discuss, and examine recent studies on advanced spectroscopic techniques and chemometric tools in the context of food product applications and analysis trends. Furthermore, it focuses on the practical aspects of spectral data handling, model construction, data interpretation, and the general utilization of statistical and chemometric methods for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. By exploring the advancements in spectroscopic techniques and their integration with chemometric tools, this review provides valuable insights into the potential applications and future directions of these analytical approaches in the food industry. It emphasizes the importance of efficient data handling, model development, and practical implementation of statistical and chemometric methods in the field of food analysis.

The present study aimed to characterize the nutraceutical properties and the antimicrobial effect of MoroccanSpirulina(Arthrospira platensis). The nutritional composition was evaluated, including water content, crude protein, total carbohydrates, lipids, phenolic composition, macro- and micromineral content, fiber content, and energy value. Then, the microbiological analysis and antioxidant activity were measured. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration method on bacteria and fungi. MoroccanSpirulinacontained a large amount of protein (76.65 ± 0.15%), followed by carbohydrates (6.46 ± 0.32%), minerals (20.91 ± 0.88%), crude fiber (4.07 ± 1.42%), lipids (2.45 ± 0.82%), ash (14.56 ± 0.74), and twenty phenolic acids being identified and quantified. Moreover, flavonoid and phenolic contents were present at 15.60 ± 2.74 mg RE/g dw and 4.19 ± 0.21 mg GAE/g dw, respectively. Microbiological risk assessment indicated that this product is safe to be consumed as a human food product. The antioxidant activity was higher in the methanolic fraction (23 mg TE/g dw) (DPPH).

The tomato is an important economic crop that is a main ingredient of some prepared food as well as a focus of the agricultural industry. Optimizing nitrogen (N) fertilizers is essential for sustainable agricultural development, while the excessive use of N fertilizers leads to environmental and food production problems. As a soil amendment, biochar has been widely used to improve soil quality and crop yield. However, little information is available on the effects of biochar and N fertilizer reduction on tomato plant, soil characteristics in tomato cultivation and tomato production. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was carried out in Yangling, Shaanxi province, China, including four biochar levels (0, 30, 50, and 70 t ha⁻¹) under drip irrigation and four N application rates (170, 190, 210, and 250 kg ha⁻¹). The results showed that adding too much biochar (e.g., 70 t ha⁻¹) and reducing N fertilizer too far (e.g., by 32%) will not lead to satisfactory results in terms of tomato growth, tomato yield and quality, and economic benefits. Biochar addition could significantly enhance microbial abundance, enzyme activity, and tomato growth compared with non‒biochar treatments when reducing the amount of applied N fertilizer by 16% or 24% (N2 and N3). From the perspectives of tomato yield, tomato quality (sugar‒acid ratio and vitamin C (VC) content), and economic benefits, optimal application rate of biochar and N fertilizer based on the silty clay loam soil of northwest China under drip irrigation is proposed, respectively. The proposal is based on both multidimensional nonlinear regression models and a comparison with experimental treatments. For example, biochar addition at 50 t ha⁻¹ and reducing N fertilizer by 24% achieved the greatest tomato yield. Compared with non-biochar treatment under the corresponding N fertilizer level, soil enzyme activity (urease, phosphatase, and catalase), microbial abundance (bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes), leaf gas exchange parameters (gs, Pn, and Tr), and biomass increased on average by 88.76%, 7.49%, 43.23%, and 39.67%, respectively. Based on a comprehensive consideration of tomato yield, VC content, sugar‒acid ratio, and economic benefits, 35 t ha⁻¹ biochar and 200 kg ha⁻¹ N fertilizer is the recommended combination of biochar and nitrogen fertilizer for local farmers.