The prospects for a rapid, non-contact quality-control method for salmon fillets based on visible-hyperspectral imaging are analysed. It is shown that the traditional method of quality assessment using the reference SalmoFan colour scale, applied to rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon fillets, is prone to the inherent risks of visual inspection, specifically subjectivity and metamerism, and introduces significant error when analysing other salmonid species, particularly sockeye salmon. The proposed method involves capturing spectral images of the fillet surface, converting the reflectance spectra to CIE 1964 chromaticity coordinates, and classifying them. This process enables the construction of maps showing the spatial distribution of colour characteristics that reflect carotenoid content. It has been established that the hyperspectral approach can provide an objective, reproducible, non-contact, and high-throughput assessment of product quality. The proposed method enables the development of a quality assessment and control system for salmonid fillets of distinct species on a unified methodological and instrumental basis, and, in the future, allows for the identification of the contribution of numerous factors to the current state of the product. 1. Buttle, L. G., et al. The effect of feed pigment type on flesh pigment deposition and colour in farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L // Aquaculture Research, 2001. Vol. 32, # 2, pp. 103–111.
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• hyperspectral imaging
• colorimetry
• video spectrometry
• acousto-optic hyper-spectrometer
• salmon fillet
• food quality control methods