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

略語解説

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略語	メソッド名	装置	測定された特性
DLS	動的光散乱法（DLS）	ゼータサイザー	分子サイズ、流体力学的半径R_H、粒子サイズ、粒度分布、安定性、濃度、凝集
ELS	電気泳動光散乱	ゼータサイザー	ゼータ電位、粒子電荷、懸濁液の安定性、タンパク質電気泳動移動度
ITC	等温滴定型カロリメトリー	MicroCal ITC	結合親和性、溶液中の分子反応の熱力学
.dsc	示差走査熱型カロリメトリー	Microcal DSC	大きな分子の変性(アンフォールド)、高分子の安定性
GCI	グレーティング結合干渉法	Creoptix WAVEsystem	リアルタイムの結合反応速度と親和性、流体工学によるラベルフリー
IMG	全自動画像解析	モフォロギ 4	粒子の画像処理、形状、サイズの自動測定
MDRS	Morphologically-Directed Raman Spectroscopy	モフォロギ4-ID	粒子の画像処理、形状、サイズの自動測定、化学的同定、汚染物質の検出
LD	レーザ回折	マスターサイザースプレーテックインシテック Parsum	粒子サイズ、粒度分布
NTA	ナノ粒子トラッキング(軌跡)解析	ナノサイト	粒子サイズ、粒度分布、濃度
SEC または GPC	サイズ排除クロマトグラフィー/ ゲル浸透クロマトグラフィー（GPC）	OmniSEC	分子サイズ、分子量、オリゴマー状態、ポリマーまたはタンパク質のサイズ、分子構造
SPE	融合によるサンプル調製	Le Neo LeDoser Eagon 2 The OxAdvanced M4 rFusion	XRF用溶融ビーズ試料の調製、ICP用過酸化物溶液の調製、ビーズ作製用のフラックス計量
UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR	紫外線/可視/近赤外線/短波赤外線分光分析	LabSpec FieldSpec TerraSpec QualitySpec	材料識別と分析、水分、鉱物、炭素の含有量。航空および衛星分光分析技術の地上検証。
PFTNA	パルス高速熱中性子活性化	CNA	インライン元素分析
XRD-C	X線回折 (結晶構造解析)	Aeris Empyrean	分子結晶構造の精製、結晶相の同定と定量化、結晶対非結晶比、結晶子径分析
XRD-M	X線回折 (ミクロ構造)	Empyrean X’Pert³ MRD(XL)	残留応力、テクスチャ
XRD-CT	コンピュータ断層撮影法による X線吸収画像処理	Empyrean	固体、気孔率、密度の3D画像処理
SAXS	小角X線散乱法	Empyrean	ナノ粒子、サイズ、形状、構造
GISAXS	斜入射小角X線散乱法	Empyrean	ナノ構造の薄膜と表面
HR-XRD	高解像度X線回折	Empyrean X’Pert³ MRD(XL)	薄膜およびエピタキシャル多層、組成、ひずみ、厚さ、品質
XRR	X線反射率法	Empyrean X’Pert³ MRD(XL)	薄膜と表面、膜厚、表面、界面粗さ
XRF	蛍光X線	Epsilon Zetium Axios FAST 2830 ZT	元素組成、元素濃度、微量元素、汚染物質の検出