The Influence of Fiber-Probe Accessories Application on the Results of Near-Infrared (NIR) Measurements

Abstract

When several near-infrared instruments are used in a network and a common chemometric model is applied to spectral processing, comparison of the instruments is indispensable. Direct transferability often claimed by the producers should be treated with caution. It has been found experimentally that when measurements are performed with the help of a fiber optic probe, the main source of spectral discrepancy is related to probe sensitivity in contactless measurements. Here the influence of the probe-to-object distance on the acquired spectra is analyzed in detail. Special experimental setups are proposed to isolate various strongly influencing factors and to maintain stable measurement conditions. The application of an artificial standard instead of real-world objects helps to focus on the instrument/accessory characteristics.