Overview
EN ISO 12099:2017 - "Animal feeding stuffs, cereals and milled cereal products - Guidelines for the application of near infrared spectrometry (ISO 12099:2017)" - is a CEN-endorsed international guideline for applying near infrared (NIR) spectrometry to determine constituents such as moisture, fat, protein, starch, crude fibre and technological parameters (e.g., digestibility) in animal feed, cereals and milled cereal products. The standard describes the principle of NIR measurement and provides best-practice guidance for implementing NIR methods in laboratory and production environments.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope and principle: Use of spectrometric measurement in the near infrared spectral region for constituent and parameter prediction.
- Apparatus: Requirements for NIR instruments and appropriate measurement setups.
- Calibration and initial validation: Guidance on building and validating calibration models using reliable reference methods; handling outliers; and strategies for bias correction, slope adjustment and expansion of calibration sets.
- Performance statistics: Metrics and statistical procedures for assessing model performance, including bias, root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), standard error of prediction (SEP) and slope evaluation.
- Sampling and procedure: Recommended procedures for sample preparation, measurement and evaluation to ensure representative and reproducible results.
- Instrument stability and QA: Controls for monitoring instrument performance - control samples, diagnostics, networks of instruments and use of control charts.
- Precision, accuracy and uncertainty: Advice on assessing repeatability, reproducibility, accuracy and reporting uncertainty.
- Reporting: Minimum content for test reports and informative annexes with examples and supplementary definitions.
Applications
- Rapid screening and routine analysis of animal feeding stuffs, cereals and milled cereal products.
- Quality control in feed mills, grain elevators, flour mills and commodity trading.
- Laboratory method development and validation for NIR-based assays (moisture, protein, fat, starch, fibre).
- Integrating NIR instruments in production monitoring and feed formulation workflows.
Who should use this standard
- Quality assurance and analytical laboratories in the feed and cereal industries
- NIR instrument manufacturers and calibration service providers
- Process control engineers and production managers in milling and feed production
- Research organisations developing NIR calibrations and validation protocols
- Regulatory bodies and accreditation assessors evaluating NIR method implementation
Related standards
Keywords: EN ISO 12099:2017, near infrared spectrometry, NIR, animal feeding stuffs, cereals, milled cereal products, calibration, validation, RMSEP, SEP, control charts.
