Detectability of the degree of freeze damage in meat analytic-tool depends on selection

Novel freezing solutions are constantly being developed to reduce quality loss in meat production chains. However, there is limited focus on identifying the sensitive analytical tools needed to directly validate product changes that result from potential improvements in freezing technology. To benchmark analytical tools relevant to meat research and production, we froze pork samples using traditional (−25 °C, −35 °C) and cryogenic freezing (−196 °C). Three classes of analyses were tested for their capacity to separate different freeze treatments: thaw loss testing, bioelectrical spectroscopy (nuclear magnetic resonance, microwave, bioimpedance) and low-temperature microscopy (cryo-SEM). A general effect of freeze treatment was detected with all bioelectrical methods. Yet, only cryo-SEM resolved quality differences between all freeze treatments, not only between cryogenic and traditional freezing. The detection sensitivity with cryo-SEM may be explained by testing meat directly in the frozen state without prior defrosting. We discuss advantages, shortcomings and cost factors in using analytical tools for quality monitoring in the meat sector

Del análisis at-line al control in situ en la industria del cerdo Ibérico utilizando sensores de Espectroscopía en el Infrarrojo Cercano

In recent decades, numerous scientific papers have shown rigorous and continuous scientific work in the areas of nutrition, genetics, technological processing and, more recently, in the quality control, traceability and authenticity of the meat cuts from the Iberian pig, which have allowed to offer to consumers meat cuts of excellent nutritional, organoleptic and health properties. However, to obtain all these achievements, thousands of laboratories in the world have needed -and still need- to carry out physicochemical and sensory analysis to be able to confirm the quality parameters of these meat products. This type of analysis has two main limitations: first, traditional sensory and physicochemical analyses are expensive, destructive, and require well-equipped and highly specialized laboratories; second, these analytical procedures generate toxic waste and require a long time (usually days) to provide results. For this reason, producers, specialist in genetics, nutrition and reproduction, industrialists, quality inspectors, and, finally, the consumer himself, demand techniques and technologies that generate reliable, rigorous, contrasted and real-time information, easy to use, avoiding sample destruction. Near infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) has been defined by different authors as a non-invasive, non-polluting, fast, precise, low-cost, versatile technology that allows at-line, on-line, in-line and on-site analysis. These attributes of NIR technology allow its implementation in different points of the meat sector, i.e., in the field, in the slaughterhouse, in cutting and processing rooms and at final points of sale and consumption, enabling to obtain information about the parameters related with the quality, safety and shelf life of the meat products. Like other photonics-based technologies, NIRS instrumentation has shown a strong evolution from the sixties to the present. Today there is a wide range of instruments that differ from each other in their optical characteristics, size, weight, spectral range, cost, adaptation to different points of implementation in the industry, operability and precision, allowing an adaptability of NIR technology to the real and current needs of the different agrifood industries. However, most scientific works have been done with at-line sensors. For this reason, there are still numerous scientific and technological challenges to be addressed, particularly in the case of heterogeneous products with high moisture content, such as intact meat pieces, the object of study of this Doctoral Thesis. Among them, it can be highlighted: the optimization of the measurement for the analysis of intact product, taking into account the point of implementation along the production chain or the evaluation of linear and nonlinear algorithms and the quantification of the loss of accuracy of NIR predictive models obtained with the recently developed portable NIR instruments. This Doctoral Thesis tries to contribute to the development of knowledge about the potential of NIRS sensors for the on-line and on-site analysis of the quality of Iberian pig meat products, in particular, in the Longissimus dorsi muscle. To do this, the predictive capacity of two NIR spectrophotometers, one based on Fourier Transform (FT-NIR), which allows on-line measurements, and other based on variable filter technology (LVF), designed for on-site analysis, have been evaluated. Quantitative and qualitative chemometric models, with samples of more than 300 Iberian loin samples, were developed evaluating linear and non-linear algorithms, as well as different ways of spectra collecting (mode of analysis). The samples were supplied by Sánchez Romero Carvajal, Jabugo S.A. and by other companies participating in the INIA project entitled “Study of quality and economic evaluation of Iberian pig products under different conditions of production and technological processing”. The results obtained in the different research works that are part of this Doctoral Thesis have revealed the potential of NIRS technology for its on-line and on-site implementation in the Iberian pig sector, as a sensor and decision support tool, useful, both at the research level (genetic selection programs, nutrition, etc.), as well as for use by the industry to control producers and make decisions about the destination of each individual piece of loin obtained in each campaign. The information generated can also be useful for inspection managers at distribution and sales points.En las últimas décadas, numerosas publicaciones científicas han mostrado como un riguroso y continuo trabajo científico en las áreas de nutrición, genética, procesamiento tecnológico y, más recientemente, en el control de calidad, trazabilidad y autenticidad de las piezas cárnicas procedentes del cerdo Ibérico, han permitido ofrecer al consumidor productos de excelentes propiedades nutricionales, organolépticas y saludables. No obstante, para conseguir todos estos logros, miles de laboratorios a nivel mundial han necesitado y aún necesitan llevar a cabo análisis fisicoquímicos y sensoriales para poder confirmar que los parámetros de calidad de los productos cárnicos derivados de tales ensayos están dentro de las expectativas. Este tipo de análisis tiene dos limitaciones principales: en primer lugar, los análisis sensoriales y fisicoquímicos tradicionales son caros, destructivos y requieren de laboratorios bien equipados y altamente especializados; en segundo lugar, dichos análisis generan residuos tóxicos y requieren un elevado tiempo (normalmente días) para generar resultados. Por tal razón, productores, especialistas en genética, nutrición y reproducción, industriales, inspectores de calidad, y como último eslabón, el propio consumidor, demandan técnicas y tecnologías que generen información fiable, rigurosa, contrastada y en tiempo real, fácil de usar y que evite la destrucción de la muestra. La Espectroscopía de Reflectancia en el Infrarrojo Cercano (en inglés, Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy, NIRS) ha sido definida por diferentes autores como una tecnología no invasiva, no contaminante, rápida, de bajo coste, versátil, que permite realizar análisis at-line, on-line, in-line e in situ, con facilidad y precisión de la medida. Estos atributos de la tecnología NIRS permiten su implementación en diferentes puntos del sector cárnico, tanto en campo, como matadero, en las salas de despiece, salas de procesado y puntos finales de venta y consumo, permitiendo la obtención de información de parámetros relativos a la calidad, seguridad y vida útil de productos cárnicos. Como otras tecnologías basadas en la fotónica, la instrumentación NIRS ha experimentado una fuerte evolución desde los años sesenta hasta la actualidad, existiendo hoy en día una amplia gama de instrumentos que difieren entre sí en sus características ópticas, tamaño, peso, rango espectral, coste, adecuación a diferentes puntos de implantación en la industria, operatividad y precisión, permitiendo la adaptabilidad de dicha tecnología a las necesidades reales y actuales de las industrias agroalimentarias. Sin embargo, la mayor parte de trabajos científicos se han realizado con sensores at-line. Por ello, son numerosos los retos científicos y tecnológicos a abordar, particularmente en el caso de productos heterogéneos y con un alto contenido de agua, como es el caso de las piezas cárnicas intactas, objeto de estudio en esta Tesis Doctoral. Entre ellos, podemos destacar: la optimización de la medida para el análisis de producto intacto en función del punto de implementación a lo largo de la cadena de producción, así como la evaluación de algoritmos lineales y no lineales y la cuantificación de la pérdida de precisión y exactitud de los modelos predictivos NIRS obtenidos con diferentes instrumentos portátiles de reciente desarrollo. La presente Tesis Doctoral intenta contribuir al desarrollo del conocimiento sobre el potencial de sensores NIRS para el análisis on-line e in situ de la calidad de productos cárnicos derivados del cerdo Ibérico, en particular, en el músculo Longissimus dorsi. Para ello, se ha evaluado la capacidad predictiva de dos espectrofotómetros NIRS, uno basado en la Transformada de Fourier (en inglés, FT-NIR) que permite realizar mediciones on-line, y otro basado en la tecnología de filtros variables lineales (en inglés, LVF), diseñado para análisis in situ. Se han desarrollado modelos quimiométricos cuantitativos y cualitativos con colectivos muestrales constituidos por más de 300 muestras de lomo ibérico, evaluando algoritmos lineales y no lineales, así como diferentes formas de presentación de la muestra. Dichas muestras fueron suministradas por las empresas participantes en el proyecto INIA titulado “Estudio de calidad y valoración económica de productos del cerdo Ibérico bajo diferentes condiciones de producción y procesado tecnológico”, así como por la empresa Sánchez Romero Carvajal, Jabugo S.A. Los resultados obtenidos en los distintos trabajos de investigación que forman parte de esta Tesis Doctoral han puesto de manifiesto el potencial de la tecnología NIRS para su incorporación in situ y on-line en el sector del cerdo Ibérico como sensor y herramienta de apoyo a la decisión, de utilidad tanto a nivel de investigación (programas de selección y mejora genética, nutrición, etc.), como para su uso por la industria para el control de productores y la toma de decisiones sobre el destino de cada pieza individual de lomo obtenida de las partidas de animales sacrificados en cada campaña. La información generada también puede ser útil para responsables de inspección en puntos de distribución y venta

Applications of Instrumental Methods for Food and Food By-Products Analysis

The analysis of food and food by-products is a particularly important topic dealing with the development and application of various analytical procedures and methods determining the properties and safety of food and food constituents. It is an important tool not only for defining food quality but also for supporting the investigation of new food products and technologies. The continuous development of methodology and access to modern research equipment enable detailed research on the composition, structure, physicochemical properties, thermal characteristics, and stability of food products and, recently, also byproducts of the food industry, which are potentially a source of bioactive compounds and currently present little commercial value and are mostly disposed of as an industrial waste. It is imperative to identify the properties and potential applications of food by-products, which would fit in with current trends in circular ecology. Taking the aforementioned reasons into account, it is important to present procedures and instrumental analytical techniques and methods commonly used to analyze food and food processing byproducts and to discuss their application in food research to detect and characterize specific food components of significance to food science and technology, such as lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates

OCM 2017 - Optical Characterization of Materials - conference proceedings

Each material has its own specific spectral signature independent if it is food, plastics, or minerals. During the conference we will discuss new trends and developments in material characterization. You also will be informed about latest highlights to identify spectral footprints and their realizations in industry