Monitoring the Processing of Dry Fermented Sausages with a Portable NIRS Device

Abstract

This work studies the ability of a MicroNIR (VIAVI, Santa Rosa, CA) device to monitor the dry fermented sausage process with the use of multivariate data analysis. Thirty sausages were made and subjected to dry fermentation, which was divided into four main stages. Physicochemical (weight lost, pH, moisture content, water activity, color, hardness, and thiobarbiruric reactive substances analysis) and sensory (quantitative descriptive analysis) characterizations of samples on different steps of the ripening process were performed. Near-infrared (NIR) spectra (950–1650 nm) were taken throughout the process at three points of the samples. Physicochemical data were explored by distance to K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN) cluster analysis, while NIR spectra were studied by partial least square–discriminant analysis; before these models, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed in both databases. The results of multivariate data analysis showed the ability to monitor and classify the different stages of ripening process (mainly the fermentation and drying steps). This study showed that a portable NIR device (MicroNIR) is a nondestructive, simple, noninvasive, fast, and cost-effective tool with the ability to monitor the dry fermented sausage processing and to classify samples as a function of the stage, constituting a feasible decision method for sausages to progress to the following processing stage.

Physicochemical, Sensory and Nutritional Properties of Foods Affected by Processing and Storage

“…However, due to the particularities of the producers, such a control system should be simple, cheap and easily implemented. Exploring the possibilities of one of these control systems, González-Mohino et al [ 10 ] studied the ability of a MicroNIR device to monitor the dry fermented sausage process with the use of multivariate data analysis. Thirty sausages were manufactured, subjected to dry fermentation and studied into four main stages of the production process (raw material, end of fermentation, end of intense drying and final product).…”

Dry-cured loin characterization by ultrasound physicochemical and sensory parameters

“…Finally, for collecting the data, FIZZ software 2.20 C version (Biosystèmes, Couternon, France, 2002) was used. The attributes of this study were selected based on the previous experience of the authors in sensory evaluation of meat products [33,34]. Selected attributes and definitions are displayed in Table 1.…”

Feasibility of Application of Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) Spectroscopy for the Prediction of the Chemical Composition of Traditional Sausages

“…The contents of all components were very variable, but according to González-Mohino et al [14], this is expectable due to the limited degree of mechanization and control of the final product, causing a higher degree of heterogeneity. This finding is corroborated by the findings of the study of Parasolglou et al [6] that reported batch variability in the range of 2.40-18.05%, 7.55-17.66%, 2.34-11.11%, and 9.52-26.71% for moisture, ash, protein and fat contents respectively, in sausages produced by the same butcher shop.…”

“…Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies on the applicability of NIR spectroscopy for the prediction of the composition of retail meat products produced in small quantities, such as traditional sausages that are prepared in the premises of butcher shops. Finally, the development of portable handheld NIR spectroscopy devices that will allow the in situ accurate estimations of meat and meat products' chemical composition is considered a research priority [10,13], and it is attracting attention for application in the production of traditional products [14].…”