Author(s):
Some physico-chemical compositions of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) were determined by using destructive and non-destructive methods. Standardized conventional method by Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) food analysis scheme was used for the destructive approach while near infrared spectrophotometer was used to measure some proximate compositions of wheat as a non-destructive method. Near infrared techniques for obtaining the proximate compositions in the bread wheat was found to be more economical and faster without destroying the actual proximate compositions of the grains. The proximate compositions of bread wheat determined by using nondestructive measurement were moisture content 11.07 ± 0.03%, crude fiber 3.00 ± 0.00% and carbohydrate 71.80 ± 0.35% and the proximate compositions of bread wheat determined by using the destructive measurement were 9.50 ± 0.10%, 2.67 ± 0.07% and 67.28 ± 0.39%, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the values obtained by the destructive and non-destructive methods for the determination of the physico-chemical compositions of bread wheat samples .Therefore, non-destructive method is economical, fast and save time compared to the crushing of the sample and addition of chemical reagents in the samples.
