LAUSR

A study of spatial distribution of the four different plasticizers and sorbic acid incorporated in cellulose acetate biodegradable films using near‐infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR‐HSI) and multivariate curve resolution—alternating least squares (MCR‐ALS) is presented. A NIR‐HSI was acquired for each film. MCR‐ALS was applied to generate pure component distribution maps. A repeatability study was performed. The proposed method was able to recover the pure spectra of each film component accurately. The relative concentration vectors obtained by the MCR‐ALS were rebuilt in matrices, and it was possible to analyze the homogeneity of the film constituents based on macropixel analysis and homogeneity index. The NIR‐HSI imaging showed excellent repeatability. For the first time, a study detailing the distribution of chemical compounds incorporated into entire biodegradable films was possible by using NIR hyperspectral imaging combined with the MCR‐ALS method.