Insights on the role of chemometrics and vibrational spectroscopy in fruit metabolite analysis

The last three decades have demonstrated the ability of combining data analytics (e.g. big data, machine learning) with modern analytical instrumental techniques such as vibrational spectroscopy (VIBSPEC) (e.g. NIR, Raman, MIR) and sensing technologies (e.g. electronic noses and tongues, colorimetric sensors) to analyse, measure and monitor a wide range of properties and samples. Developments in instrumentation, hardware and software have placed VIBSPEC as a useful tool to quantify several bioactive compounds and metabolites in a wide range of fruit and plant samples. With the incorporation of hand-held and portable instrumentation, these techniques have been valuable for the development of in-field and high throughput applications, opened new frontiers of analysis in fruits and plants. This review will present and discuss some of the current applications on the use of VIBSPEC techniques combined with data analytics on the measurement bioactive compounds and plant metabolites in different fruit samples.