NIR Spectroscopy Glossary: 80+ Key Terms Explained

Complete NIR spectroscopy glossary: Beer-Lambert Law, PLS, RMSEP, RPD, chemometrics, calibration transfer, and 80+ key terms explained for food and feed labs.

This NIR spectroscopy glossary covers foundational physics, chemometrics, calibration, and validation terminology used in food, grain, dairy, and feed quality labs. Entries are written for practitioners — not mathematicians — and cross-referenced to relevant course lessons.

Key Term Categories

• Spectroscopy Fundamentals: Absorbance, Transmittance, Beer-Lambert Law, Overtone, Combination Band, Diffuse Reflectance, Interactance
• Calibration & Chemometrics: PLS (Partial Least Squares), PCR (Principal Component Regression), PLSR, Cross-Validation, RMSECV, RMSEP, Bias, SEP
• Model Validation: RPD (Ratio of Performance to Deviation), RPIQ, Mahalanobis Distance, Leverage, Outlier, H-statistic
• Instrument Types: FT-NIR, Dispersive NIR, Diode Array, Filter-Based, At-Line, On-Line, In-Line
• Sample & Lab: Repeatability, Reproducibility, Matrix Effect, Particle Size, Temperature Compensation, Calibration Transfer

All terms are searchable and filterable by category. Linked course lessons explain the most complex entries in full context with worked examples.