Nutritional analysis of mixed produce for exotic species using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS)

Citation

Williams S, Sullivan K, Livingston S, Kerr K, Valdes EV.  2015.  Nutritional analysis of mixed produce for exotic species 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) has long been established as a fast, easy, and cost effective technology for measuring basic organic components utilized in diet formulations. In zoological facilities, accurate timely quality control of diet ingredients, including highly variable items and those with a short shelf life, such as produce, can be difficult. We utilized traditional wet chemistry data from produce items (n = 85) to create novel calibrations using NIRS to measure protein, fat, and carbohydrate composition. This calibration was cross validated and demonstrated strong predictive power for fibers, sugars, protein and dry matter. Further samples across time and season will strengthen this calibration, improving efficacy of frequent quality control.

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