The authors are reviewing here the development and the application of the nondestructive spectrophotometric analytical techniques applied to the agricultural commodities. Following a short description of the theoretical bases of this technique, the most significant applications are reviewed leading to the evolution of the first generation of instruments based on such principles. The applications of the specific instruments developed for on‐line measurements are summarized. The Grain Quality Analyzers actually marketed and their use in the determination of a wide range of components in foods are described. The experience gained by the research developed using such instruments has generated a new series of computerized instruments allowing for new methodologies and applications that are discussed and reviewed here. The state of the art and the development trends are briefly discussed, particularly referring to the research aimed to the extension of this technique to evaluate different chemical compounds in foods, to use as quality indices for agronomic, processing, and marketing purposes.