Non‐destructive texture analysis of farmed Atlantic salmon using visual/near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy

Fillets of farmed Atlantic salmon were assessed by visual/near‐infrared (VIS/NIR) reflectance spectroscopy, Kramer shear force measurement and texture profile analysis (TPA). Comparison of the Kramer measurements between pairs of subsamples gave correlation coefficients of 0.85 for pre‐rigor (2 h after slaughter), 0.78 for post‐rigor (6 days after slaughter) and 0.97 for pre‐ and post‐rigor combined. TPA gave non‐significant correlations between subsamples. VIS/NIR fibre optic probe measurements gave cross‐validated correlation coefficients for prediction of Kramer shear force of 0.76 for pre‐rigor, 0.68 for post‐rigor and 0.94 for pre‐ and post‐rigor combined. Classification using linear discriminant analysis of the VIS/NIR measurements gave up to 79% correct classification into three categories: low Kramer shear force (2.13 × 10^?2–4.41 × 10^?2 J g^?1), medium Kramer shear force (4.41 × 10^?2–6.37 × 10^?2 J g^?1) and high Kramer shear force (6.37 × 10^?2–7.90 × 10^?2 J g^?1). Using these class limits, no low‐Kramer‐shear‐force sample was misclassified as a high‐Kramer‐shear‐force sample, and vice versa. It can be concluded that non‐destructive VIS/NIR fibre optic probe measurement gives fair predictions of Kramer shear force. Its most useful application in salmon production plants may be to classify fillets into broad classes according to texture before further processing or sale. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Non-destructive determination of fat,moisture and protein in salmon fillets by use of near-infrared diffuse spectroscopy

Near infrared (NIR) diffuse spectroscopy was used to determine the fat, moisture and protein contents in whole and ground farmed atlantic salmon fillets. A remote fibre-optic probe was used for NIR measurements on 50 whole salmon fillets. The constituent ranges were: 91-205 g kg^?1 fat, 599-709g kg^?1 moisture and 186-209 g kg^?1 protein. Principal component regression resulted in the following prediction errors for ground salmon fillets, expressed as root mean square error of cross validation: 6.6 g kg-1 fat, 3.8 g kg^?1 moisture and 2.0 g kg^?1 protein. The corresponding prediction errors for non-destructive measurements on whole salmon fillets were 10.8 g kg^?1 fat, 8.5 g kg^?1 moisture and 3.7 g kg^?1 protein. Regression models using the 760-1100 m range gave lower prediction errors than models using the 1100-2500 mm or 760-2500 nm ranges. The results show that fibre-optic probe NIR instruments are suited to determine fat and moisture in whole salmon fillets non-destructively.     

Differentiation of post harvest date fruit varieties non‐destructively using FT‐NIR spectroscopy

The world production of dates has more than doubled over the last two decades. Presently, the industrial sorting of dates is a difficult operation, affected by a high level of losses. As a consequence, the objective of this article is to study the variety discrimination capabilities of Fourier Transform‐Near Infrared (FT‐NIR) reflectance spectroscopy for post‐harvest sorting purposes. The same methodology was tested on six commercial date varieties named Estamaran, Kabkab, Mazafati, Piarom, Deglet nour and Zahedi. For each cultivar, 100 fruits were analysed using the FT‐NIR spectrometer, subsequently characterised by destructive measurements. A multivariate analysis of the FT‐NIR spectra appears a feasible tool for cultivar discrimination and even to estimate the soluble solid content (SSC) and dry matter (DM) of dates at their optimal harvesting conditions. FT‐NIR, as a non‐destructive techniques, could be a suitable way for on‐line screening of different dates varieties.     

Prediction of fat in intact cereal food products using near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy

To evaluate the feasibility of an intact product approach to the near‐infrared (NIR) determination of fat content, a rapid acquisition spectrometer, with an InGaAs diode‐array detector and custom built sampling device, was used to obtain reflectance spectra (1100–1700 nm) of diverse cereal food products. Fat content reference data were obtained gravimetrically by extraction with petroleum ether (AOAC Method 945.16). Using spectral and reference data, partial least‐squares regression analysis was applied to calculate a NIR model (n = 89) to predict fat in intact cereal products; the model was adequate for rapid screening of samples, predicting the test samples (n = 44) with root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 11.8 (range 1.4–204.8) g kg^?1 and multiple coefficient of determination of 0.98. Repeated repacking and rescanning of the samples did not appreciably improve model performance. The model was expanded to include samples with a broad range of particle sizes and moisture contents without reduction in prediction accuracy for the untreated samples. The regression coefficients for the models calculated indicated that spectral features at 1165, 1215 and 1395 nm, associated with CH stretching in fats, were the most critical for model development. Published in 2005 for SCI by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In vivo determination of fat content in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) with a mobile NMR spectrometer

A new method for the rapid measurement of the fat content in live (or slaughtered) Atlantic salmon, based on a mobile low‐field NMR analyser, has been developed and tested. The instrument, calibrated against a set of reference samples (fish oil in agarose), was used for non‐destructive fat determination of the Norwegian quality cut (NQC) of anaesthetized fish. The total analysis time per fish was about 20 s. The fat content (range 90–182 g kg^?1) showed significant correlation (r = 0.92) with chemical extraction data obtained after slaughtering the same fish. The spatial distribution of fat in the NQC was obtained and visualized as a ‘fat image’ using novel software. It was concluded that the mobile NMR spectrometer has potential for implementation in connection with on‐line quality control. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

The influence of fibre level and fat supplementation in expander‐processed diets on grower–finisher pig performance

Seventy‐two entire male pigs (40.4 ± 1.0 kg) were used to study the effects of increasing crude fibre (CF) level in the diet and maintaining the digestible energy (DE) content of the diet by increasing dietary fat inclusion on pig performance and nutrient digestibility in a 3 × 2 factorial experiment. Productive performance and nutrient digestibility were determined in individually fed pigs offered expander‐processed pelleted diets ad libitum containing three levels of CF (50, 60 and 70 g kg^?1) and two levels of fat supplementation (25 and 50 g kg^?1) until slaughter at 100 kg. All diets were expander processed at 105 °C for 5 s at 35 bar pressure having been previously conditioned at 85 °C for 5 s. All diets were formulated to have similar concentrations of digestible energy (13.5 MJ kg^?1) and lysine (10 g kg^?1) and the fat source was a 60:40 blend of tallow and palm oil. The increase in dietary CF level decreased (P < 0.05) the apparent digestibility of crude protein, organic matter (OM) and energy, while the inclusion of 50 g kg^?1 fat decreased (P < 0.01) OM and energy digestibility. The inclusion of 50 g kg^?1 fat in the diet increased (P < 0.01) ether extract digestibility at the 50 and 60 g kg^?1 CF levels; however, fat inclusion had no effect at the 70 g kg^?1 CF level. There was no CF × fat interaction in any growth criteria. The inclusion of 50 g kg^?1 fat in the diet significantly reduced (P < 0.05) feed intake (2.28 versus 2.43 kg day^?1, SEM 0.039), average daily gain (ADG; 0.877 versus 0.927 kg day^?1, SEM 0.017) and DE conversion ratio (36.1 versus 35.0 MJ kg^?1, SEM 0.40). The increase in dietary CF level decreased (linear, P < 0.05) feed intake (2.45 versus 2.32 versus 2.29 kg day^?1, SEM 0.040), ADG (0.940 versus 0.896 versus 0.872 kg day^?1, SEM 0.021) and kill‐out proportion (740 versus 741 versus 730 g kg^?1, SEM 3.6). In conclusion, increasing both the CF level and supplementary fat inclusion rate had a negative effect on pig growth performance and nutrient digestibility. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Non-Destructive Determination of Fat and Moisture in Whole Atlantic Salmon by Near-Infrared Diffuse Spectroscopy

A near-infrared spectrometer equipped with an interactance optical fiber probe was used to determine the average crude fat and moisture content in the muscle of whole Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The fat contents were 8.8—19.2% and moisture 61.0—70.8%, and fish weight range 1.0—5.7 kg. A partial least square regression including 49 salmon resulted in root mean square error of cross validation of 1.12% fat (R = 0.87) and 0.98% moisture (R = 0.86). Results showed that NIR interactance was a suitable non-destructive screening method for fat and moisture content in farmed Atlantic salmon.     

Determination of added fat in meat paste using microwave and millimetre wave techniques

By evaluating the sensitivity of measurement parameters such as dielectric constant and microwave loss to fat content, several microwave and millimetre methods were compared to identify optimal frequency measurement bands. The results showed that the optimum frequency range lay between 8 and 20GHz where these parameters vary linearly, by up to a factor of 8, as fat is increased to 50% volume. A narrowband waveguide sensor cell was designed and constructed for this optimum range. The imaginary part (ε') of the complex permittivity demonstrated a better measurements resolution for determining fat content than the real part (ε'). The waveguide method has excellent repeatability as indicated by low relative standard deviation (RSD<4.88%). Temperature and sample density had minimal impact on the accuracy, repeatability and robustness of the final measurement system. A method of mixtures model for complex permittivity was shown to be a useful predictor of fat content.     

Fibre‐optic method for estimation of bovine fat quality

Spectroscopy using remote surface, contact, insertion and transmission fibre‐optic probes and a sensor at wavelengths of 400 to 1100 nm was used for rapid estimation of the physio‐chemical characteristics of bovine fat. Surface reflectance of the adipose tissue was negatively correlated with the bovine fat colour score at many wavelengths and positively correlated with the contents of the polyunsaturated fatty acids at 400 to 650 nm (P < 0.05). Internal reflectance using an insertion probe at 445 to 1100 nm was positively correlated with melting point and negatively correlated with refractive index (P < 0.05). Internal reflectance using a contact probe tended to be related to saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid contents. Transmittance at almost all wavelengths was positively correlated with refractive index (P < 0.05). Internal reflectance of the intermuscular fat from 34 animals measured at a meat market was correlated (P < 0.01) with saturated fatty acid content (r = 0.72 at 650 nm) and with monounsaturated fatty acid content (r = ?0.69 at 650 nm). These results indicated the possibility of using fibre‐optic measurements, requiring 1 s in bovine adipose tissue, to evaluate the quality of depot fat and that the various types of probe can be used to evaluate different physiochemical characteristics of fat. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Protein content determination in Brassica oleracea species using FT‐NIR technique and PLS regression

Six fresh and one frozen vegetable cultivar groups possessing remarkably different morphology from the same Brassica oleracea species, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, curly cabbage, white cabbage, red cabbage, cauliflower and white kohlrabi, were chosen to set up a Fourier transform near‐infrared spectroscopy (FT‐NIR)‐based method for the quantification of protein content. Sample preparation was based on lyophilisation and homogenisation. Calibration was set up with the help of the Kjeldahl method for the quantification of protein content in the range of 12.9–32.5 m/m%. Calibration model was developed using the spectral regions 1136–1334 and 1639–1836 nm, with partial least squares regression. This model was checked by cross‐validation. The performance of the final FT‐NIR estimation model was evaluated by root mean square of cross‐validation, root‐mean‐square error of estimation and the determination coefficient (R²). The final estimation function for the protein determination was characterised with the predictive error of 0.76 m/m% and R² value of 98.81.     

Determination of PAH profiles by GC-MS/MS in salmon processed by four cold-smoking techniques

An analytical method based on gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) (triple quadrupole device) has been developed for quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked salmon. This method was applied to determine PAH concentrations in smoked fish and assess the impact of four industrial smoking processes on their profiles. Two smokehouse temperatures and three smoke-exposure times were applied. All the smoking techniques used lead to acceptable PAH levels: the quantities recovered are 100 times lower than the legal limit (5 µg kg^-1) concerning the principal PAH, i.e. benzo[a]pyrene. To compare different smoking processes, the toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) approach was chosen. Smouldering leads to the highest TEQ, while liquid smoke leads to the lowest TEQ.     

The texture of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) muscle as measured instrumentally using TPA and Warner–Brazler shear test

Muscle texture measurements were performed on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) using two different instrumental methods; The Texture Profile Analysis, which is a uniaxial compression test, and the Warner–Brazler shear test. The performances of the two tests were evaluated as to their ability to differentiate between recently killed salmon and salmon stored on ice for up to 24 days. Both tests performed well, but the shear test was slightly more sensitive than the compression test. Further, salmon were either starved or fed for two weeks prior to slaughter. The muscle from fed salmon lost its strength slightly faster than that from starved salmon, but this difference was only detectable during the first two days of chilled storage. The effects of temperature, fish size and degree and mode of deformation on the instrumental test results were studied and were found to be significant. Also, the sample geometry, ie the thickness of the fillet was found to have a very significant effect on the TPA-test results. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

The effect of using an exopolysaccharide‐producing culture on the physicochemical properties of low‐fat and reduced‐fat Kasar cheeses

A mixed starter culture containing exopolysaccharide (EPS)‐producing strains of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus was combined with Lactobacillus helveticus LH301 and used in the manufacture of low‐fat and reduced‐fat Kasar cheeses. For comparison, low‐fat (C10) and reduced‐fat (C20) cheeses were made using EPS‐producing (EPS⁺) starter strain and EPS‐non‐producing (EPS^?) starter strain. The physicochemical properties of the cheeses were assessed in terms of chemical composition, texture, microstructure and microbial content over 90 days. Cheeses made with EPS‐producing culture (EPS10 and EPS20) had lower protein contents than control cheeses with 10% and 20% fat in dry basis (C10 and C20). Scanning electron microscopy images showed that using EPS‐producing culture resulted in a less compact protein matrix and sponge‐like structure in the cheese samples. In general, cheeses made using EPS‐producing culture had lower total viable counts. This could be related to the reduced survivability of EPS‐producing cells in the cheese matrix during ripening due to autolysis ability.     

Near‐infrared transmittance spectroscopy: a potential tool for non‐destructive determination of oil content in groundnuts

The oil content of 64 samples of groundnut kernels, representing 47 genotypes, was determined by the conventional Soxhlet extraction procedure (Oil^SOX). The values of Oil^SOX ranged from 403 to 536 g kg⁻¹. The optical densities (ODs) of these samples were determined at 12 wavelengths (918, 928, 940, 950, 968, 975, 985, 998, 1010, 1023, 1037 and 1045 nm) in the near‐infrared (NIR) region using a food composition analyser (essentially a filter‐based NIR spectrophotometer). The instrument also recorded the temperatures of the sample (Temp^S) and the air (Temp^A) surrounding it. A sample holder (75 mm × 150 mm; optical path length 25 mm) was used for optical density measurement. The data obtained were subjected to multiple linear regression analysis using the ODs at 12 wavelengths, Temp^S and Temp^A as the independent (predictor) variables, and Oil^SOX as the dependent variable. The multiple linear regression equation comprising 14 predictors showed a significant relationship between predicted values of oil content (Oil^NIR) and Oil^SOX. The standard error of calibration and the coefficient of determination for calibration (R) were 3.54 and 0.821 respectively, while the standard error of prediction and the coefficient of determination for prediction were 5.82 and 0.865 respectively. The ratio of standard error of calibration and standard error of prediction was 0.608. The differences between Oil^SOX and Oil^NIR were less than ± 20 g kg⁻¹ for samples having oil contents in the range from 480 to 510 g kg⁻¹. However, for samples having Oil^SOX lower than 480 g kg⁻¹ or higher than 510 g kg⁻¹, differences greater than ± 20 g kg⁻¹ were observed. There exists scope for further refining the regression equation by using a larger number of samples for generating optical data. The results demonstrated the potential of NIR transmittance spectroscopy for determining the oil content of groundnuts in a non‐destructive manner. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Determination of histamine in fish products by capillary electrophoresis and ion‐pair liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection

A method for histamine determination in fish and fish products by capillary electrophoresis and ion‐pair liquid chromatography has been developed. Histamine was extracted from different fish samples with 10% trichloroacetic acid, and the filtrate was directly applied to capillary electrophoresis apparatus. A preliminary purification through a solid phases extraction cartridge (Sep‐pak C₁₈) was necessary for HPLC analysis. Histamine was detected ‘on‐line’ at 210 nm by both approaches. HPLC procedure allowed accurate (±2.2%) and repeatable (±1.6%) determination of histamine in fish products at appropriate levels (20–100 mg kg⁻¹) to meet current regulations. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry