Miller Magazine Issue 110 / February 2019

66 MILLER / FEBRUARY 2019 “The benefits of NIR over traditional testing procedures lie in the speedof analysis, the simplicity, the easeof operationand the ability to measure several components simultaneously. NIR technology lends itself to in line measurements due to the ruggedness of the hardware and the fact that analysers can operate unattended for long periods with little or no need for maintenance.” Near Infrared Spectroscopy: In the mid 1960’s, an agricultural engineer, Karl Norris, USDA, Beltsville, Maryland, USA, was given the challenge to develop a rapid me- ans of measuring protein, oil and moisture in soybeans. Mr. Norris is credited as being the father of NIR because he was the first person to use multiple linear regression analysis to de- velop mathematical models to relate the Near Infrared Reflectance spectra ground soybeans to the protein, moisture and oil concentrations. In the last 50 odd years, Near Infrared Spe- ctroscopy has evolved to become a mainstay measurement tool for many food and agricul- tural products. Almost all of the world grain is traded based on the use of NIR analysers to rapidly measure protein and moisture in whe- at, corn, barley, rice, pulses, oats, rye, sorghum and protein, oil and moisture in oil seeds such as canola, soybeans, sunflower, safflower, lin- seeds and others. In the flour milling industry it is important to be able to measure moisture in tempered whe- at before it is milled. Generally wheat is soaked in water for 8 to 10 hours to bring the mois- In line measurement of moisture and protein in wheat and moisture in tempered wheat in a flour mill Phillip Clancy CEO Next Instruments