EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL OF MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY TO ASSESS THE MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF HAM

authors	Moreirinha, C; Nunes, A; Barros, A; Almeida, A; Delgadillo, I
nationality	International
journal	JOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY
keywords	TRANSFORM INFRARED-SPECTROSCOPY; FT-IR; MULTIVARIATE-ANALYSIS; BACTERIA; IDENTIFICATION; DIFFERENTIATION; ADULTERATION; SPOILAGE; SUGARS; JUICE
abstract	The accurate reliable detection and identification of microorganisms in food is critical to public safety. Consequently, it is extremely important to develop rapid and inexpensive methods for the detection of food microorganisms in order to minimize or even replace the traditional analysis methods that are expensive and time-consuming. In this study, the potential of mid-infrared spectroscopy was evaluated, for the first time, to detect changes in colony forming units of microorganisms in freshly cut ham along the time. A partial least squares regression model was performed and a good linear relationship was obtained between spectra information and microbial load. It was concluded that infrared spectroscopy easily and quickly allows the separation of ham samples according to their microbial content and could be used to predict the microbial concentration from the spectra, using the fingerprint region (1,200-950cm(-1)), without sample preparation or handling. Practical ApplicationsAs it is essential to avoid infections caused by foodborne bacteria, it is important to develop a rapid, low cost and easy to perform technique to face the increasing demands of the food industry. Mid-infrared spectroscopy, coupled to multivariate analysis, has potential to be used as a first-screening approach and to assess the microbial concentration in ham samples, avoiding the traditional plating methods that are time-consuming.
publisher	WILEY-BLACKWELL
issn	0149-6085
year published	2015
volume	35
issue	2
beginning page	270
ending page	275
digital object identifier (doi)	10.1111/jfs.12176
web of science category	Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Food Science & Technology
subject category	Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Food Science & Technology
unique article identifier	WOS:000353338300014