A comparison of sample preparation and calibration techniques for the estimation of nitrogen, oil and glucosinolate content of rapeseed by near infrared spectroscopy

SummaryPredictions of nitrogen, oil and glucosinolate concentration in rapeseed samples were made by near infrared reflectance analysis after various grinding treatments. Also examined were the effects of normalizing reflectance data and the possible advantage of using all combinations of two and three wavelengths in the calibration regression analysis over forward stepwise regression. The main conclusion was that drying the samples prior to a controlled grinding treatment gave the best results, although acceptable results for selection purposes could be obtained using whole seeds to predict nitrogen and oil. None of the treatments of the seed or reflectance data allowed acceptable prediction of glucosinolate content.