Determination of glucosinolate content in seeds of winter rapeseed for a comprehensive assessment of breeding material using IR spectrometry

During the research, calibration models were obtained for the comprehensive rapid assessment of winter rapeseed breeding material based on the biochemical characteristics of whole seeds using infrared (IR) spectrometry. The aim of the research was to develop calibration models for the MATRIXI IR analyzer to determine the mass fraction of glucosinolates in whole winter rapeseed seeds in medium and small samples. The mass fraction of oil in rapeseed seeds was determined using a Russian NMR analyzer AMV1006M. The glucosinolate content in rapeseed seeds was determined using a V1200 spectrophotometer with palladium chloride. The spectra of each sample were recorded in three replications with transfer to a 51 mm diameter cuvette (9–20 g subsample) in the spectral range of 4000–12000 cm1 with a resolution of 16 cm1, in accordance with the OPUS software manual for the MATRIXI IR spectrometer. Then, a 4 g sample was taken, and spectra were recorded using a micromeasurement adapter in a 22 mm beaker. Next, the sample was ground, and the glucosinolates were determined in two replications. The reliability of the calibration models was tested using a control lot of winter rapeseed seeds by comparing the results obtained by the different methods of determining glucosinolate content in terms of absolute and relative error, as well as their average values. Two rapid methods, “Rapeseed 51” and “Rapeseed 22”, were developed in the OPUS LAB program for a comprehensive assessment of biochemical characteristics based on the developed calibration models. The advantage of these methods is that they simultaneously determine the oil content and the levels of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic fatty acids in the oil, as well as the glucosinolate content in whole winter rapeseed seeds using an IR analyzer with a medium sample (9–20 g) in a 51 mm diameter cuvette and a small sample (1.5–6.5 g) in a 22 mm beaker. These methods enable the rapid assessment of more than 100 samples of rapeseed breeding material per work shift.