Chapter 8 - Progress in Application of NIR and FT-IR in Food Characterization

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter explains the principle of near infrared (NIR) and describes the new trends of R & D on NIR the use of FT-IR in food characterization. There is no doubt that NIR is now an established technique for the characterization of food and provides a convenient analytical tool for quality and process control. In the beginning, NIR was used for the compositional analysis of only grains, beans, and seeds, which are relatively low moisture products. NIR is now being used for the compositional analysis of a variety of products, including fruits and vegetables, which are high moisture products. As the software and hardware of NIR improved, the scope of NIR application expanded to diversified fields, such as textile, oil, pharmacy, and medical science. NIR is a promising method for food analyses and provides a convenient analytical tool for quality and process control. It is still important to expand the applications of NIR and FT-IR to new sorts of food as well as constituents. However, research and development should produce not only simple application as substitute methods for time consuming conventional chemical analyses, but also more sophisticated applications in order to utilize the ability of NIR and FT-IR to the full extent.