Phenotypic and genetic variation of ultraviolet–visible-infrared spectral wavelengths of bovine meat

Spectroscopic predictions can be used for the genetic improvement of meat quality traits in cattle. No information is however available on the genetics of meat absorbance spectra. This research investigated the phenotypic variation and the heritability of meat absorbance spectra at individual wavelengths in the ultraviolet–visible and near-infrared region (UV–Vis-NIR) obtained with portable spectrometers. Five spectra per instrument were taken on the ribeye surface of 1185 Piemontese young bulls from 93 farms (13,182 Herd-Book pedigree relatives). Linear animal model analyses of 1481 single-wavelengths from UV–Vis-NIRS and 125 from Micro-NIRS were carried out separately. In the overlapping regions, the proportions of phenotypic variance explained by batch/date of slaughter (14 ± 6% and 17 ± 7%,), rearing farm (6 ± 2% and 5 ± 3%), and the residual variances (72 ± 10% and 72 ± 5%) were similar for the UV–Vis-NIRS and Micro-NIRS, but additive genetics (7 ± 2% and 4 ± 2%) and heritability (8.3 ± 2.3% vs 5.1 ± 0.6%) were greater with the Micro-NIRS. Heritability was much greater for the visible fraction (25.2 ± 11.4%), especially the violet, blue and green colors, than for the NIR fraction (5.0 ± 8.0%). These results allow a better understanding of the possibility of using the absorbance of visible and infrared wavelengths correlated with meat quality traits for the genetic improvement in beef cattle.

REVIEW OF ROBOTIC FEEDING SYSTEMS AND PORTABLE SPECTROMETERS FOR FEED QUALITY INSPECTION

Рассмотрен вопрос роботизации кормления молочного скота, а также контроль качества кормов при помощи спектральных анализаторов Фурье. Детально изучены системы кормления от разных производителей. Выявлены конструктивные различия роботов и принципы их действия. Самоходные роботы с органами загрузки кормовых компонентов позволяют обойтись без дополнительных подсобных помещений и ряда оборудования, которое осуществляет взвешивание и погрузку кормов. Исследованы машины для пододвигания корма и их конструкторские различия. Они имеют 2 типа рабочих органов: шнековый механизм и за счет вращения корпуса. Рассмотрен вопрос по контролю качества кормов. Анализ российского рынка аналитических приборов для проведения экспресс-анализа качества кормов показал, что на данный момент существуют 2 итальянские фирмы, специализирующиеся на выпуске таких устройств. Установлено, что они работают по принципу спектрометрии и позволяют определять в кормах 7 показателей — сухое вещество, сырой протеин, сырой жир, крахмал, золу, кислотно-детергентную и нейтрально-детергентную клетчатку. Полученные от приборов данные можно сохранить на флэш накопителе. Их применение позволяет оперативно решать задачи по оптимизации рационов коров, а также применять анализаторы во время кормозаготовительных работ для отслеживания изменений, протекающих в заготовленных кормах. The issues of robotization of dairy cattle feeding and fodder quality control with the use of Fourier spectrum analyzers have been discussed. Feeding systems by different manufacturing companies have been studied in detail. Differences in design of robots and their operating principles have been found. Self-propelled robots equipped with devices for loading feed ingredients eliminate the need for additional utility space and a number of devices for weighing and loading feed. Robotic feed pushers and constructive differences between them have been studied. These robots have 2 types of working bodies: a screw conveyor and a rotating body. The issue of fodder quality control has been discussed. Carrying out an analysis of the Russian market of analytical devices for an express-analysis of fodder quality, the authors have found two Italian companies, specializing in the production of such devices. It has been established, that express-analyzers operate on the principle of spectrometry and allow for assessing 7 nutritiousness parameters of feed: the content of dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, starch, ash, acid-detergent and neutral-detergent fiber. The data from the devices can be saved to a flash drive. Their use allows for a faster solution of cow diet optimization problem, and also for the use of analyzers in fodder harvesting in order to observe changes in newly stored feed.

Intercomparison of atmospheric CO₂ and CH₄ abundances on regional scales in boreal areas using Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) analysis, COllaborative Carbon Column Observing Network (COCCON) spectrometers, and Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite observations

We compare the atmospheric column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of carbon dioxide (XCO2) and methane (XCH4) measured with a pair of COllaborative Carbon Column Observing Network (COCCON) spectrometers at Kiruna and Sodankylä (boreal areas). We compare model data provided by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) between 2017 and 2019 with XCH4 data from the recently launched Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) satellite between 2018 and 2019. In addition, measured and modeled gradients of XCO2 and XCH4 (ΔXCO2 and ΔXCH4) on regional scales are investigated. Both sites show a similar and very good correlation between COCCON retrievals and the modeled CAMS XCO2 data, while CAMS data are biased high with respect to COCCON by 3.72 ppm (±1.80 ppm) in Kiruna and 3.46 ppm (±1.73 ppm) in Sodankylä on average. For XCH4, CAMS values are higher than the COCCON observations by 0.33 ppb (±11.93 ppb) in Kiruna and 7.39 ppb (±10.92 ppb) in Sodankylä. In contrast, the S5P satellite generally measures lower atmospheric XCH4 than the COCCON spectrometers, with a mean difference of 9.69 ppb (±20.51 ppb) in Kiruna and 3.36 ppb (±17.05 ppb) in Sodankylä. We compare the gradients of XCO2 and XCH4 (ΔXCO2 and ΔXCH4) between Kiruna and Sodankylä derived from CAMS analysis and COCCON and S5P measurements to study the capability of detecting sources and sinks on regional scales. The correlations in ΔXCO2 and ΔXCH4 between the different datasets are generally smaller than the correlations in XCO2 and XCH4 between the datasets at either site. The ΔXCO2 values predicted by CAMS are generally higher than those observed with COCCON with a slope of 0.51. The ΔXCH4 values predicted by CAMS are mostly higher than those observed with COCCON with a slope of 0.65, covering a larger dataset than the comparison between S5P and COCCON. When comparing CAMS ΔXCH4 with COCCON ΔXCH4 only in S5P overpass days (slope = 0.53), the correlation is close to that between S5P and COCCON (slope = 0.51). CAMS, COCCON, and S5P predict gradients in reasonable agreement. However, the small number of observations coinciding with S5P limits our ability to verify the performance of this spaceborne sensor. We detect no significant impact of ground albedo and viewing zenith angle on the S5P results. Both sites show similar situations with the average ratios of XCH4 (S5P/COCCON) of 0.9949±0.0118 in Kiruna and 0.9953±0.0089 in Sodankylä. Overall, the results indicate that the COCCON instruments have the capability of measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) gradients on regional scales, and observations performed with the portable spectrometers can contribute to inferring sources and sinks and to validating spaceborne greenhouse gas sensors. To our knowledge, this is the first published study using COCCON spectrometers for the validation of XCH4 measurements collected by S5P.

Discriminant analysis of pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination in bee pollen based on near-infrared data from lab-stationary and portable spectrometers

Bee pollen may be contaminated with pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) and their N-oxides (PANOs), which are mainly detected by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), even though the use of fast near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is an ongoing alternative. Therefore, the main challenge of this study was to assess the feasibility of both a lab-stationary (Foss) and a portable (Polispec) NIR spectrometer in 60 dehydrated bee pollen samples. After an ANOVA-feature selection of the most informative NIR spectral data, canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) was performed to distinguish three quantitative PA/PANO classes (µg/kg): < LOQ (0.4), low; 0.4–400, moderate; > 400, high. According to the LC–MS/MS analysis, 77% of the samples were contaminated with PAs/PANOs and the sum content of the 17 target analytes was higher than 400 µg/kg in 28% of the samples. CDA was carried out on a pool of 18 (Foss) and 22 (Polispec) selected spectral variables and allowed accurate classification of samples from the low class as confirmed by the high values of Matthews correlation coefficient (≥ 0.91) for both NIR spectrometers. Leave-one-out cross-validation highlighted precise recognition of samples characterised by a high PA/PANO content with a low misclassification rate (0.02) as false negatives. The most informative wavelengths were within the < 1000, 1000–1660 and > 2400 nm regions for Foss and > 1500 nm for Polispec that could be associated with cyclic amines, and epoxide chemical structures of PAs/PANOs. In sum, both lab-stationary and portable NIR systems are reliable and fast techniques for detecting PA/PANO contamination in bee pollen.

Instrumental characteristics and potential greenhouse gas measurement capabilities of the Compact High-Spectral-Resolution Infrared Spectrometer: CHRIS

Ground-based high-spectral-resolution infrared measurements are an efficient way to obtain accurate tropospheric abundances of different gaseous species, in particular greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as CO2 and CH4. Many ground-based spectrometers are used in the NDACC and TCCON networks to validate the Level 2 satellite data, but their large dimensions and heavy mass make them inadequate for field campaigns. To overcome these problems, the use of portable spectrometers was recently investigated. In this context, this paper deals with the CHRIS (Compact High-Spectral-Resolution Infrared Spectrometer) prototype with unique characteristics such as its high spectral resolution (0.135 cm−1 nonapodized) and its wide spectral range (680 to 5200 cm−1). Its main objective is the characterization of gases and aerosols in the thermal and shortwave infrared regions. That is why it requires high radiometric precision and accuracy, which are achieved by performing spectral and radiometric calibrations that are described in this paper. Furthermore, CHRIS's capabilities to retrieve vertical CO2 and CH4 profiles are presented through a complete information content analysis, a channel selection and an error budget estimation in the attempt to join ongoing campaigns such as MAGIC (Monitoring of Atmospheric composition and Greenhouse gases through multi-Instruments Campaigns) to monitor GHGs and validate the actual and future space missions such as IASI-NG and Microcarb.

EXOFIT field trials: experience learned from the use of ExoMars/RLS Qualification Model and representative Raman prototypes

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars mission to Mars is scheduled to be launched in 2020. Seeking to prepare the ExoMars operation team to manage the engineering and scientific challenges arising from the Rosalind Franklin rover soon operating at Oxia Planum, a rover prototype equipped with representative ExoMars navigation and analytical systems was recently used in two mission simulations (ExoFit trials)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The first field test was carried out in Tabernas (Spain), a desertic area characterized by the presence of clays, partially altered sedimentary rocks and efflorescence salts. The second ExoFit trial was performed in the Atacama Desert (Chile), in a sandy flat land displaying diorite-boulders, clays patches and evaporites.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Raman Laser Simulator (RLS) team participated in both simulations: portable spectrometers were used to determine the mineralogical composition of subsoil samples collected by the rover-drill and to investigate the possible presence of biomarkers. In-situ analysis were carried out by means of the RAD 1 system (Raman Demonstrator), which is a portable spectrometer that follows the same geometrical concept and spectral characteristics of the RLS flight model (FM).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the case of Tabernas trial, additional analysis were performed using the RLS qualification model (EQM2) which at the moment was the most reliable tool to understand the scientific outcome that could derive from the RLS operating on Mars.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Prior to analysis, geological samples were crushed and sieved to replicate the granulometry of the powdered material produced by the ExoMars crusher. After flattening, from 8 to 10 spots were analyzed and Raman data and interpreted.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;From each site, two cores were drilled and analyzed. On one side, the main mineralogical phases detected in the first Atacama core are quartz and calcium carbonate. In addition to those, the mineralogy of the second core also includes hematite and calcium sulphate.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;On the other side, RAD 1 spectra gathered from Almeria core-samples confirmed the presence of quartz as main mineralogical phase. However, peaks of medium intensity at 146 and 1086 cm&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; were also observed, confirming the detection of rutile and calcium carbonate respectively. The same samples were further characterized by means of the RLS-EQM2 system: beside confirming the detection of the abovementioned mineral phases, additional Raman biomarkers-related peaks were also found.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Even though deeper Raman analysis of ExoFit samples need to be performed, the preliminary results gathered in-situ suggests that Raman spectroscopy could play a kay role in the fulfillment of the ExoMars mission objectives.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;