Feed Quality at the Speed of Light

Near-infrared spectroscopy is transforming how feed producers measure, monitor, and manage nutritional quality.

For decades, feed manufacturers have relied on wet-chemistry methods to verify the nutritional content of raw materials and finished products. These methods are precise, but they are also slow, expensive, and destructive. 

A single crude protein determination can take hours, sometimes days, during which raw materials sit idle and production schedules tighten. In an industry where feed accounts for 60% to 80% of total livestock production costs, such delays carry real financial weight.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) offers a fundamentally different approach. By measuring how feed samples absorb light in the near-infrared region, NIR instruments generate a chemical “fingerprint” of a sample within seconds—without destroying it, without chemical reagents, and with minimal sample preparation. The technology has been used in feed analysis since the 1970s, but recent advances in calibration modeling, portable hardware, and online integration have made it more practical and more powerful than ever before.

From Reception to Finished Feed

The value of NIR begins at the receiving dock. When trucks arrive with corn, soybean meal, or fishmeal, rapid NIR analysis of moisture, protein, and fat content allows immediate decisions about unloading, pricing, and acceptance. Suppliers delivering materials below specification can be identified on the spot, and ingredient quality can be benchmarked over time, supporting more resilient procurement strategies. The same speed helps detect adulteration—for example, by flagging unexpected amino acid profiles in fishmeal that suggest dilution with cheaper fillers.

Inside the production line, NIR shifts quality control from a post-mortem exercise to a real-time feedback loop. Continuous measurement of moisture and protein during mixing and pelleting allows operators to adjust steam addition, drying conditions, and ingredient dosing as needed. Skretting, a global aquaculture feed producer, implemented online NIR at its Stavanger plant to automate sampling and analysis. 

The result was a higher frequency of testing, more homogenized products, fewer out-of-specification batches, and less rework. Because raw materials represent 80% of feed costs, even small improvements in formulation precision translate into significant savings.

At the finished-feed stage, NIR provides a rapid check that products meet label guarantees and customer specifications. Batches can be released with confidence, and any deviation from the target formulation is caught before shipment. This reduces the risk of recalls, customer complaints, and regulatory non-compliance.