Abstract: A method for characterizing food-grade wooden part-components, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: emitting an IR radiation beam towards food-grade wooden part-components, receiving radiations reflected/transmitted by the radiated wooden part-components, processing said radiations reflected/transmitted by the radiated food-grade wooden part-components to generate information indicative of the radiation spectrum, determining, on the basis of said spectrum, the quantities PE(i) of odor active volatile compounds present in the food-grade wooden part-components, and characterizing said wooden part-components on the basis of determined quantities PE(i) of odor active volatile compounds.