Four decades of development and refinement are making the electro-magnetic spectrum a tool of both line operators and chemical engineers
Testing instruments that use near infrared reflectance (NIR) to measure moisture, protein content and many other variables in food trace back to the 1960s (see related story), and the technology's application has spread to many other industries. Farmers use NIR spectroscopes to verify everything from the consistency of planting depth to the moisture content of harvested grain. Process industries continue to find new applications; Eastman Kodak Co. alone has more than 14,000 NIR spectroscopes deployed throughout its Rochester, N.Y., plant. Researchers recently adapted the technology for a commercial unit that assays the pH, glucose and a dozen other dimensions in premature babies' blood, avoiding the need for multiple blood samples that could compromise the most fragile infants.