ANALYSIS OF WHOLE BARLEY KERNELS USING NEAR INFRARED REFLECTANCE SPECTROSCOPY

Abstract

Near infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy has been evaluated for the rapid analysis of whole barley from the 1984 and 1985 crops. Excellent agreement was obtained between the NIR and the reference method for moisture with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0‐980 and a standard error of prediction (SEP) of 0‐15% for the 1984 crop. Similar results were obtained when the data for both crops were combined. The total nitrogen analysis was less accurate (r 0‐844, SEP 0‐096%) using a calibration comprising five varieties. Better accuracy was achieved using a single variety calibration (r 0‐948, SEP 0‐052%). It was also possible to estimate Hot Water Extract values (r 0‐920, SEP 3‐2 1°/kg) from scans on whole barley without the need for malting or mashing. 1987 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling