Guest Editorial: Near infrared spectroscopy in China

In the 1980s, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was first applied in agriculture in China. In the 1990s, NIR spectroscopy was gradually accepted as a fascinating analytical technology by some analytical scientists and factory managers, because it possesses several attractive advantages, such as needing no or minimal sample preparation, low cost, high speed and high efficiency. In the 2000s, NIR spectroscopy was researched and applied widely in China. In 2006, the 1st Chinese Conference on Near Infrared Spectroscopy was held in Beijing, and about 200 delegates from about 100 academic institutes attended the conference. It was a milestone in the NIR history of China. The conference is held every other year, and the sixth conference is going to be held in 2016. In 2009, the China Council of NIR Spectroscopy (CCNIRS) was established, and the Council has played key roles in the Chinese NIR spectroscopy community since. In the 2010s, several influential academic activities were organised by CCNIRS, such as 446th session of the Xiangshan Science Conference (XSSC) held in 2012, which represents the highest academic level in Chinese science and technology. In addition, NIR spectroscopy has brought significant economic and social benefits to the authentication and quality control of drugs and herbal medicines, refineries and feed industries in that period in China. At present, about 50 groups are engaged in the research and application of NIR spectroscopy in China, distributed in universities, research and businesses. They are working on all aspects of the technique, including spectrometers, chemometric algorithms and software development, modelling and project implementation. More than 20 monographs have been published in China, focusing on NIR methodology, instrumentation and its application in the field of pharmacy, agriculture, food and petrochemicals. There are also several monographs on chemometrics, which is so closely linked to NIR spectroscopy. More than 500 patents directly on NIR technology have been applied for or granted, over 4000 papers have been published in domestic academic journals, and about 400 masters theses and doctoral dissertations have been completed. According to preliminary statistics, there are also about 900 articles published in foreign journals. Furthermore, more than 20 NIR Chinese standard methods, including national standards, trade standards and local standards, have been issued in recent years. About 3000 NIR analysers operating in off-line, at-line, on-line and in-line modes are being used in the agricultural, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, tobacco, food and feed industries in China. The above statistics indicate that the research and application of NIR spectroscopy in China is expanding and booming. It is expected that NIR spectroscopy will play an even greater role in Chinese industries, agriculture and commercial services in the next 10 years. The papers of this special Chinese issue cover a very wide range of NIR subjects including pharmaceuticals, chemometrics, pulp and textile, industrial fermentation, fruit and tea. Generally, research and application in such fields are very active in China. Although the papers do not cover every issue related to NIR spectroscopy in China, they embody a concentrated reflection of the current research and application status of NIR spectroscopy there. It is a great pity that Professor Wanzhen Lu, one of the founders, pioneers and supporters of NIR spectroscopy in China, could not see these papers. She passed away on 17 November 2015, just before this special issue was to be published. More details about Professor Wanzhen Lu will be found in the memorial article written by Dr Qian Wang and me.1 I would like to dedicate this special issue to my mentor, Professor Wanzhen Lu. I am sure she would be very happy if she saw this special issue, because she was always satisfied with a small progress of NIR spectroscopy both in China and in the world. Xiaoli Chu, J. Near Infrared Spectrosc. 23, v–vii (2015)