Determining the end-date of long-ripening cheese maturation using NIR hyperspectral image modelling: A feasibility study

Abstract

Near-infrared (874–1734 nm) hyperspectral (NIR-HS) imaging, coupled with chemometric tools, was used to explore the relationship between spectroscopic data and cheese maturation. A predictive tool to determine the end-date of cheese maturation (E-index, in days) was developed using a set of 425 NIR-HS images acquired during industrial-scale cheese production. The NIR-HS images were obtained by scanning the cheeses at 14, 16, 18 and 20 months of ripening, before a final sensorial assessment in which all cheeses were approved by 20 months. Regression modelling by partial least squares (PLS) was used to explore the relationship between average spectra and E-index. The best PLS model achieved 69.6% accuracy in the prediction of E-index when standard normal variate (SNV) correction and mean centring pre-processing were applied. Thus, NIR-HS image modelling can be useful as a complementary tool to optimise the logistics/efficiency of cheese ripening facilities by rapid and non-destructive prediction of the end-date of ripening for individual cheeses. However, the commercial application will require future improvements in the predictive capacity of the model, e.g. for larger datasets and repetitive scans of cheeses on random occasions.

Keywords

cheese ripening; partial least squares regression; long-ripening cheese; NIR hyperspectral imaging; predictive tool; non-destructive technique

Published in

Food Control
2021, volume: 130, article number: 108316

SLU Authors

• Priyashantha, Hasitha

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Höjer, Annika

  • Norrmejerier Ekonomisk Förening

• Lundh, Åse

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Johansson, Monika

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Bernes, Gun

  • Department of Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Geladi, Paul

  • Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Hetta, Mårten

  • Department of Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Food Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2021.108316

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/112278