Preliminary research on insect damage detection in pecans using terahertz spectroscopy

Abstract

Pecan is an important nut in US, however, the inner insect influences pecan's quality a lot. To realize the nondestructive detection of insect damage in American pecans rapidly and efficiently, preliminary research on insect damage detection in pecans was conducted based on terahertz spectroscopy. Firstly, a set of native pecan nuts were collected and were manually sliced with a thickness of about 1, 2 and 3 mm and with a size of about 2 cm(length) X 1 cm(width) for every pecan nutmeat; Pecan shell and inner separator were also cut into the same size. Secondly, the absorption spectra of the nutmeat slices, shell, and inner separator were collected using THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) developed by a group of researchers at Oklahoma State University, and the spectral characteristic of the slices was analyzed. Thirdly, the absorption spectra of the alive manduca sexta and dry pecan weevil were collected, and due to the high contents in the insects, very obvious spectral characteristics were found. Finally, the transmission experiment was conducted with the whole pecans. The results from the preliminary study show a potential application of THz technology for insect damage detection. This research provides a reference for further understanding terahertz and exploring sample preparation methods, test methods, data acquisition and optical parameters calculation methods, and developing nondestructive detection system for insect damage in American pecans based on terahertz technology.