Xpectra – Food quality control to reduce costs and maximise production value

What is it?

Xpectra is an integrated solution for digitalising quality control in the food industry through near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, artificial intelligence and applied scientific expertise.

This technology provides information about a product’s characteristics by analysing how it interacts with infrared light. Xpectra converts this information into visual, traceable results that support decisions on production management and product classification, without requiring production staff to have advanced technical knowledge.

AI Talentum provides the technology platform, software, integration with commercially available NIR equipment and technical support. AZTI contributes its expertise in spectral analysis and the development, calibration and validation of models against reference methods, adapting them to real production conditions.

Its first application was developed for fish oil quality control. In the pilot study, Xpectra demonstrated the potential to increase revenue by up to 12.5% compared with approaches relying exclusively on conventional analyses, thanks to improved product classification and production management. This result relates specifically to the application and conditions of the pilot study.

The solution can be adapted to other products and processes through the development and validation of application-specific models.

Challenges addressed

• Reduces waiting times for results, enabling faster decisions on production and product classification.
• Reduces reliance on external laboratory testing by allowing certain quality checks to be carried out directly on the production floor, cutting associated time and costs.
• Enables early detection of deviations, allowing production teams to respond more quickly.
• Helps maximise the value of each batch by providing quality information to guide product classification and management.
• Expands quality control coverage beyond occasional laboratory sampling, enabling more frequent checks without destroying samples.
• Makes NIR analysis accessible to non-specialist staff through a platform that simplifies access to and interpretation of results.

How does it work?

Xpectra provides an integrated solution covering both system implementation and day-to-day operation:

• Selects the most suitable commercially available NIR equipment based on the product, process and parameters to be monitored.
• Develops models tailored to each application, linking sample spectral data with the results of reference analyses.
• Calibrates and validates the models to verify their performance under the intended production conditions.
• Captures the product’s spectral fingerprint using NIR equipment, without destroying the sample.
• Processes data using cloud-based models, providing information on the quality parameters for which the system has been validated.
• Delivers visual, traceable results to support the detection of deviations, process monitoring and production decisions.

Key benefits

• Reduced time and costs for certain quality checks, by replacing or complementing slower laboratory analyses.
• Faster decision-making on the production floor, with quality information available during production.
• Improved product classification and management, helping maximise value according to product quality characteristics.
• An end-to-end solution, covering equipment selection, software, calibration, implementation and technical support.
• Product- and process-specific models, developed and validated with scientific support.
• Non-destructive analysis, allowing samples to be preserved after measurement.
• Easy to use for production staff, with clear, readily accessible results.
• Greater traceability of analyses, generating valuable information to improve process control and efficiency.