Fourier Transform Mid Infrared Spectroscopy Models & Associated Software for Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrate Quantifications in food and other plant materials

Rapid, inexpensive, and nondestructive technologies to measure nutrient compositions in biological (organic) materials are essential for their use in industrial utilization for human/animal health, energy generation, and nutrient-recycling. However, the currently available methods are expensive, take weeks to a month to generate results, and are highly destructive. For example, protein analysis uses the Kjeldahl method or nitrogen analyzer, which typically takes days to get results costing up to $100 per sample. Similarly, starch and fat analysis are time-consuming and require expensive instrumentation. This newly developed model and associated software takes 30 seconds or less to analyze a sample, is non-destructive, and costs less than a dollar per sample (when included with the instrument, operator costs, and 20% margin). In addition to protein, the same scan will provide carbohydrate and fat results, requiring no additional scanning or operating time—up to nine nutrient composition results for less than a minute and dollar per sample.