Pet Food

Near-infrared (NIR) technology has been used in the food, feed, and agriculture industries for over 50 years as a way to analyze for properties such as moisture, protein, fat, fiber, ash, amino acids, and more. NIR testing is fast (analysis in seconds), accurate, safe, usually nondestructive and requires minimal sample preparation with no reagents. NIR is extremely flexible and can be configured for the analysis of solids, liquids, oils, slurries, and suspensions. Accuracy is often equivalent to the wet chemical methods that it replaces. Its precision is almost always better.

NIR is an important quality tool used in the pet food industry. Analysis of incoming raw materials, in-process intermediates, and finished products can help to ensure product quality and provide quick financial payback. The SpectraStar 2400 will accurately analyze dry, finished pet food for moisture, protein, fat, and ash. The SpectraStar’s optimum wavelength range of 1200-2400nm covers the primary combination bands of C-H, N-H, and O-H bonds, which are used to analyze moisture, protein, fat, and ash. Specifically, the primary combination bands found above 1900nm are the most sensitive and generally develop the most accurate calibrations. Image analysis can be used to determine final product pet food quality.