Integrating satellite images and spectroscopy to measuring green and black tea quality

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 127; no. 2; pp. 866 - 874
• Main Authors: Dutta, R., Stein, A., Bhagat, R.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.07.2011; [Amsterdam]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Black tea; Brightness; Caffeine; Catechins; Clones; Coffee, tea and other stimulative beverage industries; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Infrared; Monitoring; NDVI; NIR; Quality; Remote sensing; Spectroscopy; Statistical analysis; Tea; Statistical analysis; Clones; NDVI; NIR; Quality; Monitoring; Near infrared spectrometry; Black tea; Green tea; Clone
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.12.160

► The study quantifies the effects of green and black tea quality parameters using statistical modelling, remote sensing and NIR spectroscopy. ► Relationships could be observed between Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), NIR spectroscopy and the green and black tea quality parameters. ► Statistical analysis showed that liquor brightness is affected by the levels of catechins, theaflavins and caffeine content. ► NDVI and Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy have a large potential to be used for monitoring tea quality in the future. This study quantifies the effects of green leaf and black tea parameters that influence tea quality in Northeast India. It was motivated by a decline in tea quality that is of concern to tea growers. The rationale of the study is to identify the different parameters that have a significant influence on liquor brightness and other variables measuring tea quality. Here, we investigate several methods for estimating tea quality based on tea quality data, near infrared spectroscopy and remotely sensed data (NDVI). Attention focused on two high yielding clones (TV1 and S3A3). NDVI was obtained from ASTER images. Statistical analysis shows that liquor brightness is affected by the levels of caffeine content, theaflavins and catechins. Relationships exist between quality parameters and remote sensing in particular for the S3A3 clone. NDVI has a positive relation with caffeine, theogallin, EC, and ECG. NIR is negatively related to caffeine, theogallin, and catechins. We conclude that NDVI and Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy have a large potential to be used for monitoring tea quality in the future.