Applications of Near Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis in the Food Industry and Research

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is routinely used in agriculture, for the analysis of pharmaceuticals, combustion products, astronomy, food stuffs and in research. The method has been broadly accepted and is widely used in quality assessment of foods, beverages and in food and beverage research. The method is relatively inexpensive, rapid, preserves the sample and is able to measure several constituents concurrently. Current food and beverage applications of NIR are dominated by proximate quality assessment, and research focused on this aspect of near infrared analysis is very active. Interest in the application of near infrared spectroscopy to microbiological research and analysis has grown in recent times. However, the use of NIR as a tool for microbiological monitoring, ecological and physiological research remains underdeveloped. Research investigating its use in these and other microbiological monitoring functions is required and would provide a valuable, cost effective addition to proximate systems already in place within many food industries. Introduction to molecular spectroscopy Molecular spectroscopy involves the analysis and quantification of molecular responses to introduced signals of known energy or frequency. All molecules (e.g. water,