EQLC-EC: An Efficient Voting Classifier for 1D Mass Spectrometry Data Classification

Mass spectrometry (MS) data present challenges for machine learning (ML) classification due to their high dimensionality, complex feature distributions, batch effects, and intensity discrepancies, often hindering model generalization and efficiency. To address these issues, this study introduces the Efficient Quick 1D Lite Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) Ensemble Classifier (EQLC-EC), integrating 1D convolutional networks with reshape layers and dual voting mechanisms for enhanced feature representation and classification performance. Validation was performed on five publicly available MS datasets, each featured in high-impact publications. EQLC-EC underwent comprehensive evaluation against classical machine learning (ML) models (e.g., support vector machine (SVM), random forest) and the leading deep learning methods reported in these studies. EQLC-EC demonstrated dataset-specific improvements, including enhanced classification accuracy (1-5% increase) and reduced standard deviation (1-10% reduction). Performance differences between soft and hard voting mechanisms were negligible (<1% variation in accuracy and standard deviation). EQLC-EC presents a powerful and efficient tool for MS data analysis with potential applications across metabolomics and proteomics.