Non-Destructive Detection of pH Value During Secondary Fermentation of Maize Silage Using Colorimetric Sensor Array Combined with Hyperspectral Imaging Technology

The pH value of maize silage can accurately reflect its quality. In this study, a colorimetric sensor array (CSA) combined with hyperspectral imaging (HSI) was used to predict the pH value of maize silage during secondary fermentation. Seventeen color-sensitive dyes were used to construct the CSA, which was subsequently applied to capture the volatile odor profiles of maize silage samples. Hyperspectral images of the color-sensitive dyes on the CSA were acquired using the HSI technique. Different algorithms were used to preprocess the raw spectral data of each dye, and a partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was built for each dye separately. Subsequently, the adaptive bacterial foraging optimization (ABFO) algorithm was employed to identify three color-sensitive dyes that demonstrated heightened sensitivity to pH variations in maize silage. This study further compared the capabilities of individual dyes, as well as their combinations, in predicting the pH value of maize silage. Additionally, a novel feature wavelength extraction method based on the ABFO algorithm was proposed, which was then compared with two traditional feature extraction algorithms. These methods were combined with PLSR and backpropagation neural network (BPNN) algorithms to construct a quantitative prediction model for the pH value of maize silage. The results show that the quantitative prediction model constructed based on three dyes was more accurate than that constructed based on an individual dye. Among them, the ABFO-BPNN model constructed on the basis of combined dyes had the best prediction performance, with prediction correlation coefficient (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msubsup><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>P</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msubsup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>), root mean square error of the prediction set (<i>RMSEP</i>), and ratio of performance deviation (<i>RPD</i>) values of 0.9348, 0.3976, and 3.9695, respectively. The aim of this study was to develop a reliable evaluation model to achieve fast and accurate predictions of silage pH.