NIR Spectroscopy Enhances Food Inspection: OtO Photonics' Spectral Modules Gain Wide International Recognition/Certification.

In the context of increasing global food safety awareness and tightening international regulations, inspection testing technologies that are instant, rapid, and non-destructive to samples have become a critical key in the food and agriculture supply chain.

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) Technology possesses advantages such as fast analysis speed, non-destructive testing, good portability, and low sample pre-treatment requirements, leading to its widespread application in the field of agricultural products and food analysis.

OtO Photonics Inc. (OtO) from Taiwan has developed miniature NIR spectrometer modules: the RedBullet (RB) Series, GoldBullet (GB) Series, and SideWinder (SW) Series, covering wavelength ranges such as 900-1700 nm, 900-2200 nm, and 900-2500 nm. These products demonstrate strong market growth momentum in various applications, including fruit ripeness determination, raw material quality control, and processing monitoring.

Their high sensitivity and low-noise design, combined with support for modular integration and a complete SDK, ensure OtO products continue to be adopted by domestic and international research institutions and equipment manufacturers.

• Southeast Asian Market: Agricultural technology research institutions utilize OtO NIR spectrometers for the non-destructive measurement of Total Soluble Solids (TSS) and acidity (pH) in tropical fruits such as mangoes, pineapples, and durians. This establishes models for ripeness and sugar content, significantly improving sorting efficiency and quality consistency.
• Mainland China: Academic teams employ the SideWinder SW2520 for toxin detection in mussels and quality analysis of peony seed oil, effectively strengthening food safety and processing quality control.
• Europe: Food science laboratories across Europe use the 2500 nm wide spectral range for precise measurements of oil oxidation, protein content, and processing stability, with speed and reproducibility far exceeding traditional chemical analysis.

In addition, OtO modules have been deployed across several European countries for fruit disease detection and food-ingredient analysis, providing real-time and non-destructive data to support food-safety monitoring.

Experts point out that the global demand for food testing is growing rapidly, making modular NIR spectroscopic equipment a key focus of industry competition.

OtO spectral modules offer the following advantages:

• • Miniaturization, high sensitivity, low noise, and flexible integration.
  • Enabling customers to rapidly develop various application instruments, including handheld detectors, portable analyzers, and in-line detection equipment for factory automation sorting lines.
    
    

Research and industry applications confirm that OtO's NIR spectrometer modules can provide stable and highly credible measurement results in the following areas, effectively supporting food enterprises in rapid and precise quality management:

• • Application Fields: Fruit ripeness determination, grain composition analysis, oil quality evaluation, and food safety inspection.
    
    

In addition to the research sector, OtO actively collaborates with food equipment manufacturers to introduce automated spectroscopic analysis technology. In recent years, its modules have been used for grain moisture measurement, meat protein analysis, and oil quality monitoring, and are being progressively adopted by enterprises in Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe.

The industry generally believes this cross-domain collaboration promotes the accelerated mass adoption of NIR spectroscopy and helps food companies monitor quality and reduce loss more effectively amid global supply chain challenges.

OtO states that the company will continue to invest in the R&D of high-sensitivity spectroscopic core technology and deepen collaborations with equipment manufacturers, agricultural research institutions, and food enterprises to accelerate the popularization of rapid detection technology in more fields.

As global attention focuses on food safety and sustainable agriculture, the demand for NIR spectroscopy will continue to rise. Taiwan's advantages in optics and precision manufacturing will also enable OtO to play a key role in the next generation of food testing solutions.