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11 pages, 2771 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Novel Ultrasonic Spectroscopy Method for Estimation of Viscosity Change during Milk Clotting

by István Kertész, Dávid Nagy, László Baranyai, Klára Pásztor-Huszár, Kinga Varsányi, Lien Le Phuong Nguyen and József Felföldi

Molecules 2021, 26(19), 5906; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26195906 - 29 Sep 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1433

Abstract

Ultrasonic testing is an emerging non-destructive testing technology with high repeatability and precision. Milk is a very complex liquid and the change of its viscosity is a highly relevant property throughout conversion into other dairy products. In the following paper, we propose a [...] Read more.

Ultrasonic testing is an emerging non-destructive testing technology with high repeatability and precision. Milk is a very complex liquid and the change of its viscosity is a highly relevant property throughout conversion into other dairy products. In the following paper, we propose a novel method for the monitoring of viscosity during enzymatic milk clotting by ultrasonic spectroscopy. An ultrasonic transducer–receiver couple with a 250 kHz nominal frequency was submerged in the samples and an enveloped sweep (“chirp”) signal was applied in a through-transmission mode. Simultaneously, the change in viscosity was measured with a rotational viscometer at a constant shearing speed. The data were analyzed with an algorithm developed by the authors for spectral ultrasonic testing. Estimations yielded a high adjusted R² (0.963–0.998) and low cross-validated estimation error (RPD: 4.38–14.22), suggesting that the method is suitable for industrial use given the right instrumentation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Qualitative Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Food Traceability and Authenticity)

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10 pages, 2259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Novel Acoustic Spectroscopy Method for Detection of Eggshell Cracks

by István Kertész, Viktória Zsom-Muha, Rebeka András, Ferenc Horváth, Csaba Németh and József Felföldi

Molecules 2021, 26(15), 4693; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26154693 - 03 Aug 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2039

Abstract

Non-destructive testing (NDT) for eggshell faults is highly important for the egg industry, as cracked eggs account for around 3% of total production. The most commonly used method at present, candling, is labor intensive, while computer vision systems are expensive and complicated. In [...] Read more.

Non-destructive testing (NDT) for eggshell faults is highly important for the egg industry, as cracked eggs account for around 3% of total production. The most commonly used method at present, candling, is labor intensive, while computer vision systems are expensive and complicated. In this paper, we present a simple, yet efficient, novel method for eggshell crack detection by acoustic spectroscopy. Altogether, 693 sound recordings were evaluated by different classification methods. The results show a cross-validated 2.1% total classification error, with only 0.87% false positive rate, which is the crucial metric for fresh eggs. Adapting the developed method to an industrial setting may lead to a reliable, fast and cost-effective detection method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Qualitative Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Food Traceability and Authenticity)

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20 pages, 3245 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Varietal and Geographical Origin Characterization of Peaches and Nectarines by Combining Analytical Techniques and Statistical Approach

by Gabriella Tamasi, Claudia Bonechi, Gemma Leone, Marco Andreassi, Marco Consumi, Paola Sangiorgio, Alessandra Verardi, Claudio Rossi and Agnese Magnani

Molecules 2021, 26(14), 4128; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26144128 - 07 Jul 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2306

Abstract

Prunus persica L. is one of the most important fruit crops in European production, after grapes, apples, oranges and watermelons. Most varieties are rich in secondary metabolites, showing antioxidant properties for human health. The purpose of this study was to develop a chemical [...] Read more.

Prunus persica L. is one of the most important fruit crops in European production, after grapes, apples, oranges and watermelons. Most varieties are rich in secondary metabolites, showing antioxidant properties for human health. The purpose of this study was to develop a chemical analysis methodology, which involves the use of different analytical-instrumental techniques to deepen the knowledge related to the profile of metabolites present in selected cultivars of peaches and nectarines cultivated in the Mediterranean area (Southern Italy). The comparative study was conducted by choosing yellow-fleshed peaches (RomeStar, ZeeLady) and yellow-fleshed nectarines (Nectaross, Venus) from two geographical areas (Piana di Sibari and Piana di Metaponto), and by determining the chemical parameters for the flesh and skin that allow for identification of any distinctive varietal and/or geographical characteristics. A combined analytical and chemometric approach was used, trough rheological, thermogravimetric (TGA), chromatographic (HPLC-ESI-MS), spectroscopic (UV-Vis, ATR-FTIR, NMR) and spectrometric (ToF-SIMS) analysis. This approach allowed us to identify the characterizing parameters for the analysis of a plant matrix so that the developed methodology could define an easily exportable and extendable model for the characterization of other types of vegetable matrices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Qualitative Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Food Traceability and Authenticity)

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12 pages, 6210 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Software-Assisted Pattern Recognition of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Contaminated Human and Animal Food

by Wenjing Guo, Jeffrey Archer, Morgan Moore, Sina Shojaee, Wen Zou, Weigong Ge, Linda Benjamin, Anthony Adeuya, Russell Fairchild and Huixiao Hong

Molecules 2021, 26(3), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26030685 - 28 Jan 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1785

Abstract

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are a serious food safety concern due to their persistence and toxic effects. To promote food safety and protect human health, it is important to understand the sources of POPs and how to minimize human exposure to these contaminants. [...] Read more.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are a serious food safety concern due to their persistence and toxic effects. To promote food safety and protect human health, it is important to understand the sources of POPs and how to minimize human exposure to these contaminants. The POPs Program within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), manually evaluates congener patterns of POPs-contaminated samples and sometimes compares the finding to other previously analyzed samples with similar patterns. This manual comparison is time consuming and solely depends on human expertise. To improve the efficiency of this evaluation, we developed software to assist in identifying potential sources of POPs contamination by detecting similarities between the congener patterns of a contaminated sample and potential environmental source samples. Similarity scores were computed and used to rank potential source samples. The software has been tested on a diverse set of incurred samples by comparing results from the software with those from human experts. We demonstrated that the software provides results consistent with human expert observation. This software also provided the advantage of reliably evaluating an increased sample lot which increased overall efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Qualitative Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Food Traceability and Authenticity)

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15 pages, 2788 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detecting Low Concentrations of Nitrogen-Based Adulterants in Whey Protein Powder Using Benchtop and Handheld NIR Spectrometers and the Feasibility of Scanning through Plastic Bag

by John-Lewis Zinia Zaukuu, Balkis Aouadi, Mátyás Lukács, Zsanett Bodor, Flóra Vitális, Biborka Gillay, Zoltan Gillay, László Friedrich and Zoltan Kovacs

Molecules 2020, 25(11), 2522; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25112522 - 28 May 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3689

Abstract

Nitrogen-rich adulterants in protein powders present sensitivity challenges to conventional combustion methods of protein determination which can be overcome by near Infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). NIRS is a rapid analytical method with high sensitivity and non-invasive advantages. This study developed robust models using benchtop [...] Read more.

Nitrogen-rich adulterants in protein powders present sensitivity challenges to conventional combustion methods of protein determination which can be overcome by near Infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). NIRS is a rapid analytical method with high sensitivity and non-invasive advantages. This study developed robust models using benchtop and handheld spectrometers to predict low concentrations of urea, glycine, taurine, and melamine in whey protein powder (WPP). Effectiveness of scanning samples through optical glass and polyethylene bags was also tested for the handheld NIRS. WPP was adulterated up to six concentration levels from 0.5% to 3% w/w. The two spectrometers were used to obtain three datasets of 819 diffuse reflectance spectra each that were pretreated before linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and regression (PLSR). Pretreatment was effective and revealed important absorption bands that could be correlated with the chemical properties of the mixtures. Benchtop NIR spectrometer showed the best results in LDA and PLSR but handheld NIR spectrometers showed comparatively good results. There were high prediction accuracies and low errors attesting to the robustness of the developed PLSR models using independent test set validation. Both the plastic bag and optical glass gave good results with accuracies depending on the adulterant of interest and can be used for field applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Qualitative Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Food Traceability and Authenticity)

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13 pages, 2645 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geographical Classification of Italian Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) by Multi-Block Treatments of UV-Vis and IR Spectroscopic Data

by Alessandra Biancolillo, Martina Foschi and Angelo Antonio D’Archivio

Molecules 2020, 25(10), 2332; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25102332 - 16 May 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2795

Abstract

One-hundred and fourteen samples of saffron harvested in four different Italian areas (three in Central Italy and one in the South) were investigated by IR and UV-Vis spectroscopies. Two different multi-block strategies, Sequential and Orthogonalized Partial Least Squares Linear Discriminant Analysis (SO-PLS-LDA) and [...] Read more.

One-hundred and fourteen samples of saffron harvested in four different Italian areas (three in Central Italy and one in the South) were investigated by IR and UV-Vis spectroscopies. Two different multi-block strategies, Sequential and Orthogonalized Partial Least Squares Linear Discriminant Analysis (SO-PLS-LDA) and Sequential and Orthogonalized Covariance Selection Linear Discriminant Analysis (SO-CovSel-LDA), were used to simultaneously handle the two data blocks and classify samples according to their geographical origin. Both multi-block approaches provided very satisfying results. Each model was investigated in order to understand which spectral variables contribute the most to the discrimination of samples, i.e., to the characterization of saffron harvested in the four different areas. The most accurate solution was provided by SO-PLS-LDA, which only misclassified three test samples over 31 (in external validation). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Qualitative Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Food Traceability and Authenticity)

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Review

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28 pages, 380 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Application of NMR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Authentication of Spices

by Barbara Pacholczyk-Sienicka, Grzegorz Ciepielowski and Łukasz Albrecht

Molecules 2021, 26(2), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020382 - 13 Jan 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3913

Abstract

Spices and herbs are among the most commonly adulterated food types. This is because spices are widely used to process food. Spices not only enhance the flavor and taste of food, but they are also sources of numerous bioactive compounds that are significantly [...] Read more.

Spices and herbs are among the most commonly adulterated food types. This is because spices are widely used to process food. Spices not only enhance the flavor and taste of food, but they are also sources of numerous bioactive compounds that are significantly beneficial for health. The healing effects of spices are connected with their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and carminative properties. However, regular consumption of adulterated spices may cause fatal damage to our system because adulterants in most cases are unhealthy. For that reason, the appropriate analytical methods are necessary for quality assurance and to ensure the authenticity of spices. Spectroscopic methods are gaining interest as they are fast, require little or no sample preparation, and provide rich structural information. This review provides an overview of the application of NMR spectroscopy combined with chemometric analysis to determine the quality and adulteration of spices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Qualitative Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Food Traceability and Authenticity)

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26 pages, 1666 KiB

Open AccessReview

Sustainable Palm Oil—The Role of Screening and Advanced Analytical Techniques for Geographical Traceability and Authenticity Verification

by Umi Salamah Ramli, Noor Idayu Tahir, Nurul Liyana Rozali, Abrizah Othman, Nor Hayati Muhammad, Syahidah Akmal Muhammad, Azmil Haizam Ahmad Tarmizi, Norfadilah Hashim, Ravigadevi Sambanthamurthi, Rajinder Singh, Mohamad Arif Abd Manaf and Ghulam Kadir Ahmad Parveez

Molecules 2020, 25(12), 2927; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25122927 - 25 Jun 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 9201

Abstract

Palm oil production from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is vital for the economy of Malaysia. As of late, sustainable production of palm oil has been a key focus due to demand by consumer groups, and important progress has been made in [...] Read more.

Palm oil production from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is vital for the economy of Malaysia. As of late, sustainable production of palm oil has been a key focus due to demand by consumer groups, and important progress has been made in establishing standards that promote good agricultural practices that minimize impact on the environment. In line with the industrial goal to build a traceable supply chain, several measures have been implemented to ensure that traceability can be monitored. Although the palm oil supply chain can be highly complex, and achieving full traceability is not an easy task, the industry has to be proactive in developing improved systems that support the existing methods, which rely on recorded information in the supply chain. The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) as the custodian of the palm oil industry in Malaysia has taken the initiative to assess and develop technologies that can ensure authenticity and traceability of palm oil in the major supply chains from the point of harvesting all the way to key downstream applications. This review describes the underlying framework related to palm oil geographical traceability using various state-of-the-art analytical techniques, which are also being explored to address adulteration in the global palm oil supply chain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Qualitative Spectroscopy and Chemometrics in Food Traceability and Authenticity)

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