Review of NIR spectroscopy methods for nondestructive quality analysis of oilseeds and edible oils

Background: Edible oils play a vital role in our daily life, which provide human beings with energy, essential fatty acids and nutrients. The quality of edible oils can be dependent on the quality of the oilseeds they originate from, and their adulteration during processing. In recent years, near infrared spectroscopy was widely used in the rapid assessment of quality of oilseeds and edible oils. However, to the best of our knowledge, a comprehensive review on near infrared spectroscopy for the quality of oilseeds remains to be published. Scope and approach: The applications of near infrared spectroscopy in the quality of oilseeds and edible oils have been emphasized in this review. This article briefly summarizes the basic knowledge of near infrared spectroscopy. In addition, we highlight the application of this technique on the detection of physicochemical properties and quality, specific nutrient components, authentication, and geographical origin traceability of oilseeds and edible oils. Moreover, the application of near infrared hyperspectral imaging technology in oilseeds has been addressed. Key findings and conclusions: Near infrared spectroscopy possesses the advantages of rapid, green and low-cost analysis. Meanwhile, it is also a nondestructive method and therefore suitable to quality analysis of oilseeds in agricultural sciences. It can be used to detect macro nutrients in oilseeds and edible oils by combining NIR and advanced chemometrics. In the future, NIR could be applied in the rapid detection and online detection of hazardous substances and nutrients in oilseeds by developing the new instrument and chemometric methods.