Novel innovative possibilities for the dairy industry opened by common format of FT-MIR instruments

FT-MIR technology is worldwide used for fast and cost effective determination of major milk components. However, due to the different individual response of each instrument the potential of this technology is currently underexploited as new tools cannot be easily ported to other instruments. Recently a standardization method was developed in order to harmonize the spectral response format between instruments of different brands and models but also across time for each spectrometer. The method matches monthly the infrared response of all spectrometers on the response of a reference instrument, making all machines talking a common language. The objective is to allow the creation and the use of common, new and innovative concepts by pooling resources and sharing data. Using this method, new tools for analysis of milk quality and milk technological properties have been created and shared within the network, as fatty acids and minerals predictions or milk coagulation properties. New concepts requiring a common spectral format have been developed like the untargeted detection of milk contaminant and abnormal milk or the determination of milk geographic origin. Models in relation with the status of the dairy cow were also created and shared as to predict ketosis, negative energy balance or methane emissions. Therefore models can be developed at one place and deployed within the entire network, in which 90 instruments are currently monthly standardized.