Agriculture & Food Science Research Solutions

Want to know more about the analysis we can offer for your agricultural and food science research? Whether you’re a student, a researcher, or a professor, we’re here to help with information on the most relevant application examples.

Agriculture and food sciences encompasses many scientific disciplines – from studies of molecules and proteins through to satellite imagery and assessing large forest areas. Our application notes and published papers show how our instruments are used in many different applications, both lab-based and in the field. So, take a look and see how they could help you with your agricultural studies or research! You can find the method abbreviations explained at the bottom of this page.

Seen everything? You might also find some useful articles in Biological and Medical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Agronomy

Agronomy is a wide-ranging subject including:

Environmental science
Crop and soil science
Cereals, grains, and viticulture
Soil chemistry, fertility, and mineralogy
Natural resources, water content and quality
Botany and pest and weed control
Forestry and forest sciences

Here’s a selection of our application notes and articles relevant to agronomy and agricultural research. Explore them to discover more about our agricultural research services!

Agronomy	Method	Sample/Subject	Application Note Title (Link)
Compost- waste	XRF	Pressed powder compost samples	Trace element analysis of organic-rich samples using Zetium and Pro-Trace
Crops-viticulture	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Viticulture management, vineyards, grapes, wine	NIR and viticulture spectroscopic techniques
Crops- pesticides	LD	Tap water tested with different nozzle types	Characterizing spray nozzles for targeted agrochemical application using the Malvern Spraytec
Crops- nutraceuticals	UV/Vis/NIR/SWIR	Rosmarinic acid, Oleanolic acid, Ursolic acid and Total triterpenes (Mint, Oregano)	Evaluation of Medicinal Herb Samples Using ASD LabSpec
Crops – Olive Trees	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	The relationship of NIR spectral indices to Leaf Water Potential and to Pressure-volume curves	Assessing plant water relations based on hidden information in the hyper‐spectral signatures: Parameterization of olive leaf P-V curve and estimation of water potential components
Crops - Maize	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	The use of ASD NIR as a tool to aid in small-holder agricultural productivity in Kenya.	Unravelling the effects of soil and crop management on maize productivity
Forests – Pine nutrients	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Comparison of spectral indices and PLSR models to plant nutrient concentrations.	Predicting macronutrient concentrations from loblolly pine leaf reflectance across local and regional scales
Forests – Pulp production	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Standing tree wood, lumber, OSB flake properties	Applications of Reflectance Spectroscopy in Paper and Pulp manufacture
Forests - tropical	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	NIR Spectroscopy to characterize species biodiversity	Spectroscopy of Humid Tropical Forests
General - chemometrics	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Collection of student projects in chemometric methods.	Integrating Traditional Handheld Remotely Sensed Measurement Techniques with Chemometric Analyses in the Classroom
Plants - review	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Combination of field spectrometer (ASD) and overflight sensor to identify invasive plant species. A classic application of ground-truthing.	Spectral Identification of Native and Non-Native Plant Species
Plants – plant virus	DLS	Polydispersity of Rice Dwarf virus.	Characterization of Rice Dwarf Virus, in water, RDV+ (crystallized), RDV- (not crystallized)
Plants - bioprocessing	Imaging	Fiber width and elongation	Fiber parameter measurements using the Morphologi G3 particle characterization system
Plant Biology - pollen	Imaging	Parietaria Judaica (PJ), Avena Fatua (AF), Taraxacum Officinale and Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum (TF&CL)	Characterization of pollen samples with the Morphologi^® G3SE
Soil - Madagascar	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Soil quality in Madagascar (Oxisols), paddy, tavy, topsoil - pH, total carbon (SOC), N, P, Ca, Mg, K, cation exchange (CEC)	Sensing landscape level change in soil fertility
Soil – Chemistry	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N) concentration. Soil carbon (C) mineralization	Prediction of carbon mineralization rates from different soil physical fractions
Soil – Carbon and Nitrogen	XRF	C and N in soil samples	Analysis of carbon and nitrogen in soils
Soil - mineralogy	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Kaolinite, montmorillonite, and mica abundances. Swelling clays, organics, and other measurements e.g. cation exchange capacity (CEC)	Measurement of Soil Mineralogy and CEC Using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy
Soil - Contaminants	XRF	Heavy metal elemental concentrations	Analysis of heavy-metal contaminants in soils and sludges
Soil – water, minerals	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Old paper* but provides good background. *Modern data shows better quality.	Spectral Reflectance of Wetted Soils
Soil - texture	LD	Acrisol, Phaeozem, Luvisol, Cambisol	Getting a feel for soil texture using laser diffraction particle size analysis

Dairy Research

Dairy research includes food chemistry and processing research – which themselves significantly overlap with many other disciplines, such as biochemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, and food science and nutrition. Specifically, dairy research focuses on the studies of human health and milk consumption, together with dairy cow nutrition and the environmental impact of milk production. We’ve put together a selection of application notes and articles related to dairy research – check them out below!

Dairy Research	Method	Sample/Subject	Application Note Title (Link)
milk - emulsion stability	DLS	Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk	Zeta Potential Measurements of Skimmed and Semi-Skimmed Milk Using the ZEN1010 High Concentration Cell
milk - emulsions	LD	Full-fat, semi-skimmed, skimmed milk powder	Measurement of Dairy and Food Emulsions using Laser Diffraction
milk - fats and micelles	LD	Fat globules and casin micelles in milk	Using laser diffraction to characterize casein micelles and fat globules in milk
milk powder - elemental composition	XRF	Milk powder, Ca, Cl, K, P, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn	At-line analysis of nutrient content in milk powder
milk powder - infant formula	XRF	Infant formula milk, Ca, Cl, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P, S, Zn	A new approach on the sample preparation of powdered dairy products
milk powder - whey, cheese	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Milk powder, whey, cheese	NIR and Dairy Spectroscopy
Protein - ß-Lactoglobulin (ß- Lg) aggregation	DLS	ß-Lactoglobulin (ß-Lg) aggregation at different pH values (NaCl and HCl)	Aggregation of ß-Lactoglobulin
Protein - steric layers	DLS	β-lactoglobulin-dextran on polystyrene latex spheres, buffers, and salts	Determining Steric Layer Thickness and Conformation Using Dynamic Light Scattering
Protein - steric layers and stability	DLS	Canola oil, Aqueous protein/conjugate emulsifier solution, β-lactoglobulin	Studying the Effect of Steric Layer Thickness on Emulsion Stability
Protein - whey protein isolate	SEC	Whey Protein Isolate (WPI), four components, immunoglobulin, albumin, β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin	Characterization of Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) using multi-detector size-exclusion chromatography

Food chemistry

Food chemistry significantly overlaps with plant sciences and biochemistry. It’s the foundation for food processing – and research experiments can be comparable to those in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textiles, paper, polymer science, nutrition sciences, and healthcare. In the table below, you’ll find some application notes and articles relevant to food science research and development – check them out to learn more!

Food Chemistry	Method	Sample/Subject	Application Note Title (link)
Cellulose	GPC	Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)	Analysis of cellulose derivatives by advanced GPC/SEC
Cellulose - sodium carboxymethyl	GPC	Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in aqueous eluent	Substitution in sodium carboxymethyl cellulose
Cereal and Grain	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Ground corn Stover samples	Small Sample Size Evaluation using LabSpec 4 Standard-Res i
Enzymes – Sweet Potato	GPC	β-amylase from sweet potato	Compositional insights for protein mixtures: a case study of a semi-pure β-amylase extract
Lactase - Aspergillus oryzae fungus	DLS	Lactase from Aspergillus oryzae fungus in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)	Using Light scattering to study the stability of Lactase
Gelatin	XRF	Gelatin, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn	Trace element determination of Cr, Fe, Cu and Zn in gelatin
Meat and Fish	UV/Vis/NIR/SWIR	General overview	NIR and Proteins
Polysaccarides - starches	GPC	Aqueous polysaccharides, Starches	Physical treatment of polysaccharides
Polysaccharides	GPC	3 typical polysaccharides in mobile phase of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)	Multi-detector GPC/SEC analysis of polysaccharides using OMNISEC
Polysaccharides	GPC	Polysaccharides	Using triple detection GPC/SEC to Determine branching in polysaccharides
Polysaccharides - dextran	GPC	Dextran in Na2So4 solution, gum Arabic, pectin	Structural elucidation of dextrans and other polysaccharides using OMNISEC Multi-Detection GPC
Polysaccharides - pullulan, dextran, hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), pectin and gum Arabic	GPC	Polysaccharides, pullulan, dextran, hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), pectin, and gum Arabic	Characterizing polysaccharide structure with SEC-MALS and intrinsic viscosity measurements
Seaweed - sodium alginate	GPC	Brown seaweed, sodium alginate	Monitoring degradation of sodium alginate using GPC/SEC
Vitamins - Vitamin B	DLS	Vitamin B (thiamine)	Exploring the Concentration Limits of DLS: Characterization of Vitamin B1

Food processing

Food processing builds on food science, encompassing all considerations for processing raw foodstuffs into forms suitable for human and livestock consumption. Several processing methods have shared considerations with pharmaceutical processing. Food processing also considers formulation, shelf-life, and stability. Processors must screen for toxins and detrimental changes that can occur during storage. Environmental impact, of both the raw materials and the recycling and disposal of waste food products and processing chemicals, must also be considered. Here are some of our application notes and articles relevant to food processing. Take a look to discover more!

Food Processing	Method	Sample/Subject	Application Note Title (Link)
Beer Brewing	UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Beer Brewing, temperature, pH, sugar composition, yeast type	Beer Brewing and Ethanol Production
Chocolate	LD	Dark, milk, white chocolate, crumb, and powder milk chocolates	Understanding the production and perception of chocolate through particle size analysis
Chocolate	LD	Chocolate, suspension of sugar, cocoa, and milk particles in a continuous fat phase	Understanding the properties of chocolate using laser diffraction particle size distribution analysis
Chocolate - identification	Imaging	Chocolate, various brands	Analyzing chocolate with the Morphologi automated image analysis system
Chocolate - WHITEPAPER	LD	Chocolate	Analytical characterization of mouthfeel in chocolate
Coffee grounds	LD	Coffee grounds	Measuring the particle size distribution of coffee grounds using laser diffraction
Coffee grounds	LD	Coffee grounds	Rapid measurement of coffee ground particle size distributions during coffee grinding operations
Dog food - mineral nutrients	XRF and SPE	Mineral nutrients in Dog Food: Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Mg, Na, P, S, Zn	Elemental Determination of Dog Food Samples Using Lithium Borate Fusion and XRF Analysis
Edible oils - contaminants	XRF	Fe, Cu, Ni, As, Cd, Pb in edible oils	Analysis of Fe, Ni, Cu, As, Cd and Pb in edible oils
Flour - Bread and cakes	UV/Vis/NIR/SWIR	Bread and cake flour	Bread and Cake Flour properties Modeled using LabSpec^® 4
flour - wheat, gluten-free	Imaging	Wheat flour, Gluten-free flour A- and B- type starch grains, starch-protein composite, protein, gamma-oryzanol, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, starch	Particle Morphology of Wheat Flour and Gluten-Free Flour
Iodine in foods	XRF	Iodine (I) skimmed milk, citrus leaves, wheat, potato flour, cellulose,	Iodine in foods
Livestock feed	XRF	Livestock feeds - trace elements: Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb	Analysis of mineral and trace element content in livestock feed
Rice flour	LD and Imaging	Rice flour	Grain Based Food Processing - Particle Characterization and its Significance
Starches - modified	GPC	Modified starches	Structural differences in modified starches
Surfactants - fermentation	DLS	Surfactin (a lipopeptide surfactant) micelles in clarified fermentation broth	Determination of surfactin micelle formation and disruption in a membrane-based separation
Wheat - noodles	XRF	Lead contamination in wheat noodles	Screening for lead contamination in wheat noodles (Epsilon 1)
Wheat - noodles	XRF	Lead contamination in wheat noodles	Trace analysis of lead in wheat noodles (Epsilon 4)
Whey powder - contaminants	XRF	Whey powder (Ca, Cl, K, Mg, Na, P) with trace elements (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn)	Analysis of de-mineralized whey powder

Abkürzungen erklärt

Unsere Produkte und Technologien werden auf den Produktseiten beschrieben. Nachstehend finden Sie eine Kurzübersicht über die von unseren Geräten gemessenen Eigenschaften einschließlich der Messbezeichnung und ihrer Abkürzung. Klicken Sie auf die einzelnen Methoden, um mehr darüber zu erfahren!

Abkürzung	Methodenname	Gerät(e)	Gemessene Eigenschaft
DLS	Dynamische Lichtstreuung	Zetasizer	Molekülgröße, hydrodynamischer Radius R_H, Partikelgröße, Größenverteilung, Stabilität, Konzentration, Agglomeration
ELS	Elektrophoretische Lichtstreuung	Zetasizer	Zetapotenzial, Partikelladung, Suspensionsstabilität, Proteinmobilität
ITC	Isothermische Titrationskalorimetrie	MicroCal ITC	Bindungsaffinität, Thermodynamik molekularer Reaktionen in Lösung
DDK	Dynamische Differenzkalorimetrie	Microcal DSC	Denaturierung (Entfaltung) von großen Molekülen, Stabilität von Makromolekülen
GCI	Gittergekoppelte Interferometrie	Creoptix WAVEsystem	Bindungskinetik und -affinität in Echtzeit, markerfrei mit Fluidik
IMG	Automatisierte Bildanalyse	Morphologi 4	Bildgebung von Partikeln, automatisierte Form- und Größenmessung
MDRS	Morphologically-Directed Raman-Spektroskopie	Morphologi 4-ID	Bildgebung von Partikeln, automatisierte Form- und Größenmessung, chemische Identifizierung und Verunreinigungserkennung
LD	Laserbeugung	Mastersizer Spraytec Insitec Parsum	Partikelgröße, Größenverteilung
NTA	Nanopartikel-Tracking-Analyse (NTA)	NanoSight	Partikelgröße, Größenverteilung und Konzentration
SEC oder GPC	Größenausschluss-Chromatographie/ Gelpermeationschromatographie	OMNISEC	Molekülgröße, Molekulargewicht, oligomerer Zustand, Polymer- oder Proteingröße und Molekularstruktur
SPE	Probenvorbereitung durch Schmelzaufschluss	Le Neo LeDoser Eagon 2 The OxAdvanced M4 rFusion	Schmelztabletten-Probenvorbereitung für RFA, Peroxidlösungszubereitungen für ICP, Flussmittelwägung für die Schmelztablettenherstellung
UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	Ultraviolett-/Sichtbares Licht-/Nahinfrarot-/Kurzwellen-Infrarotspektrometrie	LabSpec FieldSpec TerraSpec QualitySpec	Materialerkennung und -analyse, Feuchtigkeit, Mineral- und Kohlenstoffgehalt. Bodenuntersuchungen für luft- und satellitengestützte spektroskopische Verfahren.
PFTNA	Aktivierung mit gepulsten schnellen thermischen Neutronen (Pulsed Fast and Thermal Neutron Activation, PFTNA)	CNA	Inline-Elementaranalyse
XRD-C	Röntgendiffraktion (Kristallographie)	Aeris Empyrean	Verfeinerung der molekularen Kristallstruktur, Identifizierung und Quantifizierung der kristallinen Phase, Verhältnis zwischen kristallin und amorph, Analyse der Kristallitgröße
XRD-M	Röntgendiffraktion (Mikrostruktur)	Empyrean X’Pert³ MRD(XL)	Eigenspannung, Textur
XRD-CT	Röntgenabsorptionsbildgebung durch Computertomographie	Empyrean	3D Bildgebung von Feststoffen, Porosität und Dichte
SAXS	Kleinwinkel-Röntgenstreuung	Empyrean	Nanopartikel, Größe, Form und Struktur
GISAXS	Kleinwinkel-Röntgenstreuung unter streifendem Einfall	Empyrean	Nanostrukturierte Dünnschichten und Oberflächen
HR-XRD	Hochauflösende Röntgenbeugung	Empyrean X’Pert³ MRD(XL)	Dünnschichten und epitaktische Mehrfachschichten, Zusammensetzung, Dehnung, Dicke, Qualität
XRR	Röntgenreflektometrie	Empyrean X’Pert³ MRD(XL)	Dünnschichten und Oberflächen, Schichtdicke, Oberflächen- und Grenzflächenrauheit
RFA	Röntgenfluoreszenz	Epsilon Zetium Axios FAST 2830 ZT	Elementzusammensetzung, Elementkonzentration, Spurenelemente, Verunreinigungserkennung