In this study (purchase required), near-infrared spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics was validated to authenticate oat flour (from different forms of oat; oat groats, steel-cut and rolled oats) and distinguish it from common adulterants including wheat, farro, triticale, barley, rye, and ryegrass. Both unsupervised and supervised chemometric methodologies (PCA, SIMCA, and OPLS-DA) were applied. The authors reported that both SIMCA and OPLS-DA models displayed 100% sensitivity, enabling reliable identification of oat flour and detection of potential adulteration with specificity of 97.78% and 100%, respectively. Using SIMCA, samples of oat groat flour with low levels (1% and 2%) adulteration were incorrectly classified as unadulterated, but successful discrimination was achieved through the OPLS-DA model. They reported that PLS regression analysis could quantify the levels of these adulterants.
The authors validated their models using over 200 in-house test samples prepared from cereals grown at an agricultural research station. The technique was fast, non-invasive, relatively cheap and suitable for in-line use.
Graphical abstract from the paper.
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