Rapid discrimination of enhanced quality pork by visible and near infrared spectroscopy

Comprehensive analysis of key aroma compounds enhanced by Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb in mutton roasted by air-frying roast technology by means of SAFE-GC-O-MS and lipidomics

Little information is known about the increased aroma compounds and possible mechanism in Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb roasted mutton (TRM). A comprehensive analysis of aroma compounds and lipids were firstly performed by lipidomics and sensomics approach. The results indicated that 9 out of 53 aroma compounds were considered as key odorants, including 5-methyl-2,3-diethylpyrazine. The roasted mutton contained highest levels of phosphatidylcholine (PC, 13.95%), triglyceride (TG, 13.50%), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, 12.25%). TG 18:0_18:0_18:1 and nine odorants were the potential biomarkers for discriminating differential samples due to variable importance in projection (VIP) > 1 and p < 0.05. PCs and TGs, including PC 21:0_13:1 and TG 16:0_18:1_18:1, might be predominantly responsible for the formation and retention of aroma compounds, respectively. This will clarify the enhanced effect of Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb on the presence of aroma compounds via lipid pathways in roasted mutton.

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Procedure for Online Determination of Sodium and Potassium Content in Low-Salt Cured Hams

This paper reports the development of a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) calibration procedure for the determination of sodium and potassium content in cured ham samples. Sliced samples of hams treated with different salts in different percentages were included in the study. Calibration models developed using partial least squares regression were cross-validated and predictive models were tested using the samples of cured ham with low sodium content. The results showed that the developed NIRS procedure is capable of directly measuring the potassium content of packaged dry-cured ham slices with low sodium content with a fitting accuracy of 91.44%, and that it can indirectly determine the sodium content by applying a correction factor to the values obtained for potassium. The prediction error between the calculated and actual sodium values determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometry (ICP-AES) was 0.004%, and this confirms that the NIRS procedure is a viable option for the determination of sodium and potassium content in this type of sample.

The potential of proteomics in the study of processed meat products

Proteomics is a field that has grown rapidly since its emergence in the mid-1990s, reaching many disciplines such as food technology. The application of proteomic techniques in the study of complex biological samples such as foods, specifically meat products, allows scientists to decipher the underlying cellular mechanisms behind different quality traits. Lately, much emphasis has been placed on the discovery of biomarkers that facilitate the prediction of biochemical transformations of the product and provide key information on parameters associated with traceability and food safety. This review study focuses on the contribution of proteomics in the improvement of processed meat products. Different techniques and strategies have recently been successfully carried out in the study of the proteome of these products that can help the development of foods with a higher sensory quality, while ensuring consumer safety through early detection of microbiological contamination and fraud. SIGNIFICANCE: The food industry and the academic world work together with the aim of responding to market demands, always seeking excellence. In particular, the meat industry has to face a series of challenges such as, achieving sensory attributes in accordance with the standards required by the consumer and maintaining a high level of safety and transparency, avoiding deliver adulterated and/or contaminated products. This review work exposes how the aforementioned challenges are attempted to be solved through proteomic technology, discussing the latest and most outstanding research in this regard, which undoubtedly contribute to improving the quality, in all the extension of the word, of meat products, providing relevant knowledge in the field of proteomic research.

Development of a Portable Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Tool for Detecting Freshness of Commercial Packaged Pork

Real-time monitoring of meat quality requires fast, accurate, low-cost, and non-destructive analytical methods that can be used throughout the entire production chain, including the packaged product. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of a portable near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy tool for the on-site detection of freshness of pork loin fillets in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) stored on display counters. Pork loin slices were sealed in MAP trays under two proportions of O2/CO2/N2: High-Ox-MAP (30/40/30) and Low-Ox-MAP (5/20/75). Changes in pH, color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), Warner−Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and microbiology (total viable counts, Enteriobacteriaceae, and lactic acid bacteria) were monitored over 15 days post-mortem at 4 °C. VIS-NIR spectra were collected from pork fillets before (through the film cover) and after opening the trays (directly on the meat surface) with a portable LABSPEC 5000 NIR system in diffuse reflectance mode (350−2500 nm). Quantitative NIR models by partial least squares regression (PLSR) showed a promising prediction ability for meat color (L*, a*, C*, and h*) and microbiological variables (R2VAL > 0.72 and RPDVAL > 2). In addition, qualitative models using PLS discriminant analysis obtained good accuracy (over 90%) for classifying pork samples as fresh (acceptable for consumption) or spoiled (not acceptable) based on their microbiological counts. VIS-NIR spectroscopy allows rapid evaluation of product quality and shelf life and could be used for on-site control of pork quality.

Miniaturized NIR Spectroscopy in Food Analysis and Quality Control: Promises, Challenges, and Perspectives

The ongoing miniaturization of spectrometers creates a perfect synergy with the common advantages of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, which together provide particularly significant benefits in the field of food analysis. The combination of portability and direct onsite application with high throughput and a noninvasive way of analysis is a decisive advantage in the food industry, which features a diverse production and supply chain. A miniaturized NIR analytical framework is readily applicable to combat various food safety risks, where compromised quality may result from an accidental or intentional (i.e., food fraud) origin. In this review, the characteristics of miniaturized NIR sensors are discussed in comparison to benchtop laboratory spectrometers regarding their performance, applicability, and optimization of methodology. Miniaturized NIR spectrometers remarkably increase the flexibility of analysis; however, various factors affect the performance of these devices in different analytical scenarios. Currently, it is a focused research direction to perform systematic evaluation studies of the accuracy and reliability of various miniaturized spectrometers that are based on different technologies; e.g., Fourier transform (FT)-NIR, micro-optoelectro-mechanical system (MOEMS)-based Hadamard mask, or linear variable filter (LVF) coupled with an array detector, among others. Progressing technology has been accompanied by innovative data-analysis methods integrated into the package of a micro-NIR analytical framework to improve its accuracy, reliability, and applicability. Advanced calibration methods (e.g., artificial neural networks (ANN) and nonlinear regression) directly improve the performance of miniaturized instruments in challenging analyses, and balance the accuracy of these instruments toward laboratory spectrometers. The quantum-mechanical simulation of NIR spectra reveals the wavenumber regions where the best-correlated spectral information resides and unveils the interactions of the target analyte with the surrounding matrix, ultimately enhancing the information gathered from the NIR spectra. A data-fusion framework offers a combination of spectral information from sensors that operate in different wavelength regions and enables parallelization of spectral pretreatments. This set of methods enables the intelligent design of future NIR analyses using miniaturized instruments, which is critically important for samples with a complex matrix typical of food raw material and shelf products.

Agricultural Potentials of Molecular Spectroscopy and Advances for Food Authentication: An Overview

Meat, fish, coffee, tea, mushroom, and spices are foods that have been acknowledged for their nutritional benefits but are also reportedly targets of fraud and tampering due to their economic value. Conventional methods often take precedence for monitoring these foods, but rapid advanced instruments employing molecular spectroscopic techniques are gradually claiming dominance due to their numerous advantages such as low cost, little to no sample preparation, and, above all, their ability to fingerprint and detect a deviation from quality. This review aims to provide a detailed overview of common molecular spectroscopic techniques and their use for agricultural and food quality management. Using multiple databases including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, 171 research publications including research articles, review papers, and book chapters were thoroughly reviewed and discussed to highlight new trends, accomplishments, challenges, and benefits of using molecular spectroscopic methods for studying food matrices. It was observed that Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), Infrared spectroscopy (IR), Hyperspectral imaging (his), and Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) stand out in particular for the identification of geographical origin, compositional analysis, authentication, and the detection of adulteration of meat, fish, coffee, tea, mushroom, and spices; however, the potential of UV/Vis, 1H-NMR, and Raman spectroscopy (RS) for similar purposes is not negligible. The methods rely heavily on preprocessing and chemometric methods, but their reliance on conventional reference data which can sometimes be unreliable, for quantitative analysis, is perhaps one of their dominant challenges. Nonetheless, the emergence of handheld versions of these techniques is an area that is continuously being explored for digitalized remote analysis.

Handheld Devices for Food Authentication and Their Applications: A Review

This review summarises miniaturised technologies, commercially available devices, and device applications for food authentication or measurement of features that could potentially be used for authentication. We first focus on the handheld technologies and their generic characteristics: (1) technology types available, (2) their design and mode of operation, and (3) data handling and output systems. Subsequently, applications are reviewed according to commodity type for products of animal and plant origin. The 150 applications of commercial, handheld devices involve a large variety of technologies, such as various types of spectroscopy, imaging, and sensor arrays. The majority of applications, ~60%, aim at food products of plant origin. The technologies are not specifically aimed at certain commodities or product features, and no single technology can be applied for authentication of all commodities. Nevertheless, many useful applications have been developed for many food commodities. However, the use of these applications in practice is still in its infancy. This is largely because for each single application, new spectral databases need to be built and maintained. Therefore, apart from developing applications, a focus on sharing and re-use of data and calibration transfers is pivotal to remove this bottleneck and to increase the implementation of these technologies in practice.

Proximal Composition and Nutritive Value of Raw, Smoked and Pickled Freshwater Fish

The aim of the study was to assess protein, fat, salt, collagen, moisture content and energy value of freshwater fish purchased in Polish fish farms. Eight species of freshwater fish (raw, smoked, pickled) were assessed by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The protein content varied between 15.9 and 21.7 g/100 g, 12.8 and 26.2 g/100 g, 11.5 and 21.9 g/100 g in raw, smoked and pickled fish, respectively. Fat content ranged from 0.89 to 22.3 g/100 g, 0.72 to 43.1 g/100 g, 0.01 to 29.7 g/100 g in raw, smoked and pickled fish, respectively. Salt content ranged from 0.73 to 1.48 g/100 g, 0.77 to 3.39 g/100 g, 1.47 to 2.29 g/100 g in raw, smoked and pickled fish, respectively. A serving (150 g) of each fish product provided 53.2–71.9% of the Reference Intake (RI) for protein, 2.21–60.3% of the RI for fat, 21.3–61.3% of the RI for salt and 6.27–24.4% kJ/6.29–24.5% kcal of the RI for energy. Smoked fish had a higher protein and also fat content than raw and pickled fish, while smoked and pickled fish had higher salt content than raw fish. Cluster analysis was performed, which allowed to distinguish, on the basis of protein, fat, salt, collagen and moisture content, mainly European eel.

Meat provenance: Authentication of geographical origin and dietary background of meat

The authenticity of meat is now an important consideration in the multi-step food chain from production of animals on farm to consumer consumption of the final meat product. A range of techniques, involving analysis of elemental and molecular constituents of meat, fingerprint profiling and multivariate statistical analysis exists and these techniques are evolving in the quest to provide robust methods of establishing the dietary background of animals and the geographical origin of the meat derived from them. The potential application to meat authentication of techniques such as stable isotope ratio analysis applied to different animal tissues, measurement in meat of compounds directly derived from the diet of animals, such as fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins, and spectroscopy is explored. Challenges pertaining to the interpretation of data, as they relate to assignment of dietary background or geographical origin, are discussed.

Developments and Challenges in Online NIR Spectroscopy for Meat Processing

Meat and meat products are popular foods due to their balanced nutritional nature and their availability in a variety of forms. In recent years, due to an increase in the consumer awareness regarding product quality and authenticity of food, rapid and effective quality control systems have been sought by meat industries. Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been identified as a fast and cost-effective tool for estimating various meat quality parameters as well as detecting adulteration. This review focusses on the on/inline application of single and multiprobe NIR spectroscopy for the analysis of meat and meat products starting from the year 1996 to 2017. The article gives a brief description about the theory of NIR spectroscopy followed by its application for meat and meat products analysis. A detailed discussion is provided on the various studies regarding applications of NIR spectroscopy and specifically for on/inline monitoring along with their advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, a brief description has been given about the various chemometric techniques utilized in the mentioned studies. Finally, it discusses challenges encountered and future prospects of the technology. It is concluded that, advancements in the fields of NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics have immensely increased the potential of the technology as a reliable on/inline monitoring tool for the meat industry.

A Review of the Principles and Applications of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Characterize Meat, Fat, and Meat Products

Consumer demand for quality and healthfulness has led to a higher need for quality assurance in meat production. This requirement has increased interest in near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy due to the ability for rapid, environmentally friendly, and noninvasive prediction of meat quality or authentication of added-value meat products. This review includes the principles of NIR spectroscopy, pre-processing methods, and multivariate analyses used for quantitative and qualitative purposes in the meat sector. Recent advances in portable NIR spectrometers that enable new online applications in the meat industry are shown and their performance evaluated. Discrepancies between published studies and potential sources of variability are discussed, and further research is encouraged to face the challenges of using NIRS technology in commercial applications, so that its full potential can be achieved.