Comparative analysis of non-destructive and destructive measurements of some proximate compositions of wheat for confectionery and pasta production

Abstract

In this research work, comparative evaluations of proximate compositions of wheat (Triticum aestivum) using non-destructive and destructive methods were determined. DA7200 near infra-red (NIR) spectrophotometer was used to measure some proximate compositions of wheat as a non-destructive method while the standardized conventional method by Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) food analysis scheme was used for the destructive approach. A randomized block design of 6 (Quality attributes) × 2 (Laboratory method of analysis) × 3 (Replicates) making a total of 36 samples used for the experiment. SPSS 20.0 statistical package was used to determine significant levels (P < 0.05) for the values obtained from both methods using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT). Non-destructive measurement had significantly higher values of moisture content for wheat 11.07 ± 0.03%, crude fibre 3.00 ± 0.00% and carbohydrate 71.80 ± 0.35% over the destructive measurement having 9.50 ± 0.10%, 2.67 ± 0.07% and 67.28 ± 0.39%, respectively. Near infra-red techniques for obtaining the proximate compositions in wheat was therefore found to be more economical and faster without destroying the actual proximate compositions of the grains, therefore recommended for used over the conventional method.

Keywords: Destructive, non-destructive, proximate compositions, wheat, DA7200 near infra-red (NIR) multipurpose analyzer.