Calibration development for rapid assessment of fish species for dolphins in human care using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS)

Citation

Williams S, Sullivan K, Livingston S, Kerr K, Valdes EV. 2015.  Calibration development for rapid assessment of fish species for dolphins in human care using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS).  In Bissell H, Brooks M Eds. Proceedings of the Eleventh Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, AZA Nutrition Advisory Group, Portland, OR.

Abstract

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) is a fast, accurate, and cost effective method for analyzing organic compounds. Dolphins as a species are highly sensitive to changes in the energy and nutrient contents of their diets. We analyzed monthly samples (n=148) of capelin, herring, and squid for dry matter, crude protein and crude fat. The dried and ground samples were returned to our lab and analyzed via NIRS for collection of spectral data. Calibrations were developed using the wet laboratory analysis as reference values to develop prediction equations. We were able to produce strong equations with low standard error of cross validation (SECV) = 1.29 to 1.90; r²= 0.90 to 0.98. These indicate good predictive power of our equation and will allow accurate assessment of the nutrient content of fish.

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