Fundamentals of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy as a method of forage analysis

Abstract

As near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) has evolved as arapid, precise and non-destructive global technique of analysis of agricultural products, this paper intends to review the aspects related to the physical fundamentals of NIRS, technical advances in instrumentation and the steps to develop and evalúate calibrations. Some examples of forage evaluation by NIRS are given in terms of chemical composition, digestibility, energy value and ruminal degradability, among other applications.