Evaluation of prediction of indigestible fiber fraction (iNDF) of whole-crop barley silage by using non-destructive spectroscopic techniques as a fast-screening method: comparison between FTIR vs. NIR

Abstract The objective of this study was to reveal the potential of using Fourier transform mid-infrared (FTIR) and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as tools for the determination of indigestible neutral (NDF) fraction (iNDF) of whole-crop barley silage. A total of 48 whole-crop barley silage samples collected from 48 different farms in Western Canada were analyzed for iNDF. Reference values were matched with NIR and FTIR spectra. Spectral data processing (pretreatments) included first derivative, standard normal variate, multiplicative scattering correction, second derivative, and orthogonal signal correction. Prediction equations were obtained from each model using an external validation set. The coefficient of determination for the external validation of iNDF was 0.62 for FTIR and 0.41 for NIR, while the corresponding ratio performance deviation was 1.69 and 1.38 for FTIR and NIR, respectively. Results from this research showed the high potential of applying infrared molecular spectroscopy for the examination of forage plant fiber digestibility. More studies are needed to improve the accuracy and performance of FTIR and NIR spectroscopies in predicting the iNDF of whole-crop barley silage samples.