Prediction of technological and organoleptic properties of porcine meat by near infrared spectroscopy

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Fourier Transform NIR spectroscopy as a potential technique for prediction of technological (pH and WHC) and organoleptic (color and tenderness) properties of porcine meat. From this study, it can be concluded that NIR spectroscopy shows good potentiality for prediction of several color and water holding capacity parameters. The quality of the models could be improved by using a larger number of samples or, alternatively, by choosing samples with larger variability, or possibly by performing reference analysis and NIR analysis on the same day. Since the spectra were obtained on minced meat, these results have to be confirmed when applying the technique on intact meat in the laboratory or on the slaughterline.