Innovative 4.0 technologies for wine production

Antares Vision, a world-leading Italian multinational operating in the field of visual inspection, tracking and intelligent data management, has teamed up with Brescia-based wine producer Berlucchi for innovative experimentation of hyperspectral technology applied to grapes.

The research project, which began in July this year, is being conducted in collaboration with the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Brescia in accordance with scientific protocols compiled by expert agronomists.

The main aim is to perform periodic sampling to monitor grape quality, from its organoleptic characteristics to the changes in chemical composition that occur during ripening and the presence of botrytis or other moulds.

The hyperspectral camera (a kind of ultra-powerful X-ray) is used to determine the chemical properties of the objects analysed. This camera uses a sensor that is sensitive to the area of the light spectrum that is not visible to the eye (near infrared) and is able to focus on specific intervals.

The system takes hundreds of photos at wavelengths separated by very narrow intervals (about 4 millionths of a millimetre wide), covering a distance of between 900 and 1,700 nanometres. Certain elements or chemical compounds absorb infrared radiation differently, thereby modifying the spectrum in a distinctive way.

The second step in the Antares Vision-Berlucchi project will focus on optimising the collected data. Machine learning methods will be used to search for indicators and correlations that are not visible to the human eye, resulting in analyses and statistics capable of further improving processes and finished product quality.