Number of particles for the determination of size distribution from microscopic images

The aim of this study was to determine the minimal number of particles requ ired for assessing a reliable particle size distribution from images acquir ed using microscopy. The proposed methodology used the one-sample Kolmogoro v-Smirnov statistic to choose an a priori number of particles and the two-s ample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to validate the sub-sampling procedure inhere nt to microscopic preparation. The methodology was applied to number-based particle size distributions of starch granules. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S .A. All rights reserved.