Nir spectral imaging for animal feed quality and safety

The increasing need for safe and quality animal-derived food products and the limitations of slow and destruc-tive traditional screening methods have driven the development of fast, accurate, and reliable testing methods for evaluation of animal feed safety and quality parameters. One of the methods being applied recently is near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR HSI), an analytical technique that provides chemical and spatial information for the sample. It has been applied to various food and agricultural products and is gaining acceptance for commercial use in the food industry. This paper presents research progress with respect to applications of NIR HSI for safety and quality evaluation of animal feed ingredients, specifically in screening illegal adulteration and contamination of feed materials, detecting biological contam-ination and damage, measuring constituent concentrations and other quality properties, and evaluating feed processing parameters. Major results, multivariate analysis and hyperspectral image processing algorithms used, and limitations of the different studies being reviewed were highlighted. With its potential uses and applications on animal feed, NIR HSI is a promising breakthrough in the feed industry.