“…Therefore, three different prediction models were constructed for each of the three maturation indices: maturation time, proteolysis index and total free amino acids. Table 1 Multiple chemical components are known to fluoresce in this wavelength range such as oxidized lipids (Dillard and Tappel, 1971), Maillard reaction products (Birlouez-Aragon et al, 1998;Birlouez-Aragon et al, 2002;Morales et al, 1996;Morales and van Boekel, 1998;Schamberger and Labuza, 2006) and Schiff bases formed between oxidation products and amino groups (Kikugawa and Beppu, 1987). Maillard products are most often linked to the heating process of dairy products, but are known to increase with maturation time (Corzo et al, 2000) and have also been used as an indicator of cheese ripening (Pellegrino et al, 1997).…”