Compositional Analysis of Powdered Cocoa Products by Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy

Near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy was used to measure moisture, fat, and sucrose in powdered cocoa products. Spectra of a series of known samples were recorded and multiple linear regression techniques were used to relate the concentrations of each parameter to reflectance measurements at selected wavelengths. Precision and accuracy were estimated to evaluate the potential application of the NIR spectroscopy in the quality control of powdered cocoa products. Results showed that moisture, fat, and sucrose could be analyzed in powdered cocoa products by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy because good correlation coefficients and low standard errors were achieved in prediction study.