Measurement of oil in whole flaxseed by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy

A near-infrared reflectance (NIR) Infralyzer 500 was calibrated for determination of oil with samples of ground and whole flaxseed grown over three years. Wavelength selection by the computer software interfaced with the Infralyzer, analytical and regression statistic data, such as standard deviation of laboratory analysis (SD_x), correlation coefficient, standard error of estimate (SEE), standard error of prediction (SEP), and the SD_x/SEP ratio showed that calibration of the instrument with whole flaxseed was equal in precision to that obtained with the ground flaxseed. Growth location or seed moisture content had no effect on oil content of whole flaxseed determined by the NIR. The whole seed calibration allowed rapid, nondestructive screening for oil in flaxseed at greatly reduced cost.