Classification of Cultivation Years of Ginseng using Near-Infrared(NIR) Reflectance Spectroscopy

The application of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to determine the cultivation years of ginseng is reported. The objective of this study is to develop a nondestructive and accurate method using near infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy and pattern recognition techniques. Four 5, and 6-year-old ginseng samples are studied. Though there are no serious difference in the NIR spectra according to cultivation years, the spectra were moderately differentiated based on cultivation years using pattern recognition method based on principal component analysis. It is shown that there are qualitative differences according to cultivation years. In order to develop classification rules, two pattern recognition techniques such as discriminant partial least squares (PLS2) method and soft independent modeling of class analogies (SIMCA) have been carried out. As a result, near infrared reflectance spectroscopy using pattern recognition is shown to have significant potential as a rapid and nondestructive method for the determination of cultivation years of ginseng.