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Red king crab (RKC) is one of the most widely distributed and well-known of all king crabs. The edible meat of the RKC is in the legs and claws and is considered a delicacy. Occasionally, the content of meat is low, and this is regarded as the single most negative quality attribute. In this study, we elucidated how rapid and non-destructive near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) on live RKCs can be used to predict the meat content in the cooked legs. A NIRS prototype (wavelength range 760–1080 nm) was used to obtain spectra from the interior tissue of the crab legs. 99 live crabs (380 legs) were measured over a 10-month period. Calibration models were developed with a prediction error for meat content of 6.4 %-points, which is accurate enough to classify the crabs into low (<80 %) and high meat content. The amount of cooked meat is proportional to the amount protein in the muscle. A limitation with the method is that it may overestimate the meat content if the legs have lost free water due to e.g. injuries in the exoskeleton. The technology described can facilitate a more sustainable RKC fishery and improve the subsequent trade and processing. • NIR spectroscopy is well suited for prediction of meat content in the legs of red king crabs. • Meat content in cooked legs is predicted based on NIR measurements on live crabs. • NIR calibrations relies mainly on the protein content in the leg biomass. • Measurements are performed without contact and takes 1–2 s. • The technology is highly needed in the king crab value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of applied spectroscopy is strongly dominated by publications presenting proof-of-concepts, lab set-ups, and demonstrations. In contrast, the corresponding number of commercial successes of inline spectroscopy is surprisingly lower. This article discusses inline spectroscopy from an instrumentation perspective. It is the authors' firm belief that the success of inline spectroscopy lies in the understanding of how the design and implementation of the optical instrumentation affects the data quality, and how this in turn will limit or enhance the performance of the prediction model. This article emphasizes the need for a strong, multidisciplinary design team, whose design process is rooted in first principles, to bridge the technology “valley of death” and convert research in applied spectroscopy into commercially successful solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of NMR to predict purge from vacuum-packed pork that was stored for 9 days was investigated. T 2 relaxation was measured at 24 h post mortem ( p.m. ) and again after 9 days of chilled storage. NMR measurements from day 1 p.m. were limited in predicting day-9 purge (|r| = 0.37–0.52). The root mean square error of linear regression (RMSD) for measuring day-9 purge using the relaxation time of intra-myofibrillar water (T 21 ) measured on day 1 p.m. (r = −0.46) was 1.31% (range: 1.15–7.69% purge), corresponding to ±2.62% (2 × RMSD) prediction error of purge with 95% probability. This indicated that for purge production rate, the distribution and mobility of water in meat on day 1 p.m. may be of little relevance. Further tests were conducted to explain this poor predictability, by taking NMR measurements of water mobility and distribution made on the same meat sample (taken at 96 h p.m. ) every day, during a 9-day storage period. By analyzing the T 21 and T 22 domains every day, it was revealed that during the first 5-day of storage, water (86%) moved from intra-myofibrillar space to extra-myofibrillar space. However, this movement did not result in detectable drip. A major liquid loss followed between days 6 and 7 and ceased day 8. This complexity of the water movement between domains during storage may explain the poor predictability of day-9 purge using NMR measurements from day 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of using NMR as a reference method for WHC measurement in porcine longissimus dorsi was investigated. The accuracy of NMR when measuring small water changes was assessed in a model system and in muscles. Visible/near infrared (Vis/NIR) and X-ray were used as potential online spectroscopic methods to assess WHC on 40 muscles. Drip loss and spin–spin relaxation were also measured. Calibration models were built using partial least squares regression (PLSR) with Vis/NIR or X-ray spectra as input and NMR or drip loss values as output. The slowest spin–spin relaxation time (T 22 ) showed higher correlation with both Vis/NIR ( R CV 2 = 0.66) and X-ray spectra ( R CV 2 = 0.76) than EZ-DripLoss values, demonstrating NMR has potential as a reference method for WHC measurement. NMR was more robust against variation along the length of the muscle when compared to the EZ-DripLoss method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During industrial heat treatment of food products, the core temperature is a critical control parameter with respect to food quality and in particular food safety. This paper presents a novel prototype system based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) that enables continuous in-line and non-contact monitoring of core temperature in sausages during heat treatment in an industrial oven. NIRS interaction measurements in the 761–1081 nm region were used to probe the interior of the sausages. NIRS calibrations for the estimation of core temperature were developed for three different sausage types in the temperature range 60–90 °C. The best accuracy obtained for core temperature with NIRS was about ±1.0 °C. Results indicate that calibrations for core temperature can be transferred between different sausage types, which will ease implementation of such a method. The method was successfully tested in a modern sausage production plant. • Novel NIR instrument measures core temperature in sausages without physical contact. • Best obtained accuracy for core temperature with NIR was ±1.0 °C. • Core temperature in sausages was monitored in industrial steam oven. • Core temperature calibrations can be transferred between different sausage types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A porcine model was used to investigate the feasibility of using VIS-NIR spectroscopy to differentiate between degrees of ischemia–reperfusion injury in the small intestine. Ten pigs were used in this study and four segments were created in the small intestine of each pig: (1) control, (2) full arterial and venous mesenteric occlusion for 8 h, (3) arterial and venous mesenteric occlusion for 2 h followed by reperfusion for 6 h, and (4) arterial and venous mesenteric occlusion for 4 h followed by reperfusion for 4 h. Two models were built using partial least square discriminant analysis. The first model was able to differentiate between the control, ischemic, and reperfused intestinal segments with an average accuracy of 99.2% with 10-fold cross-validation, and the second model was able to discriminate between the viable versus non-viable intestinal segments with an average accuracy of 96.0% using 10-fold cross-validation. Moreover, histopathology was used to investigate the borderline between viable and non-viable intestinal segments. The VIS-NIR spectroscopy method together with a PLS-DA model showed promising results and appears to be well-suited as a potentially real-time intraoperative method for assessing intestinal ischemia–reperfusion injury, due to its easy-to-use and non-invasive nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industries are continuously looking for dedicated sensor solutions for evaluating the chemical composition of products that can provide valuable insights into process control, process optimization, and product quality. A rapid and robust analytical method, Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, holds significant potential in this regard as it provides detailed compositional values of food nutrients. The main aim of the present study was to use dry film FTIR spectroscopy as an analytical tool to characterize products from an industrial enzymatic protein hydrolysis process and link this to understand industrial process variations. For this purpose, 463 protein hydrolysate samples were obtained from an industrial enzymatic protein hydrolysis plant. In the same period, systematic variations in process parameters such as raw material composition, enzyme type, and water addition, were performed. All samples were analyzed using dry film FTIR spectroscopy. Two subsets containing 200 and 68 hydrolysate samples were chosen for measuring average molecular weight (AMW) and collagen content respectively, providing reference data for constructing calibration models based on partial least squares regression (PLSR). The percentage of low molecular weight constituents was derived from the molecular weight distribution of size exclusion chromatograms of protein hydrolysates and also used in the modeling. Calibration models for the prediction of AMW, low molecular weight constituents, and collagen content were obtained with a good fit and lower estimation errors. Principal component analysis (PCA) of protein hydrolysates' FTIR spectra effectively differentiated process variations (enzyme types and raw materials) without extensive reference analysis. One-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests was used to observe the impact of process variation on product quality. FTIR proved to be a sensitive method for liquid protein analysis and process control with a significant potential in process optimization approaches. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time dry film FTIR spectroscopy has been used to evaluate an industrial bioprocess with designed process variations. [Display omitted] • Dry film FTIR was used to evaluate an industrial bioprocess with process variations. • Dry film FTIR can be used to characterize industrial protein hydrolysate quality. • FTIR calibration models were built with low estimation errors for three parameters. • FTIR spectroscopy was successfully used to comprehend industrial process variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Interaction NIR spectroscopy is well suited for non-contact determination of total soluble solids in strawberries. • NIR interaction measurements are less affected by irrelevant fruit surface properties than reflection. • The method works well outside in the field with ambient daylight. • Measurement time is less than 1 sec. • Measurements in the 760 – 1080 nm region has a probing depth of about 6–7 mm into the strawberries. Autonomous field robots are being developed for picking of fruit, where each fruit needs to be individually graded and handled. There is therefore a need for rapid and non-destructive sensing to measure critical fruit quality parameters. In this article we report how total soluble solids (TSS), a measure for total sugar content, can be measured in strawberries in the field by non-contact near-infrared (NIR) interaction spectroscopy. A specially designed prototype system working in the wavelength range 760–1080 nm was tested for this purpose. This novel instrument was compared with a commercial handheld NIR reflection instrument working in the range 900–1600 nm. The instruments were calibrated in the lab using data collected from 200 strawberries of two varieties and tested in a strawberry field on 50 berries in 2022 and 100 berries in 2023. Both systems performed well during calibration with root mean square errors of cross validation for TSS around 0.49 % and 0.57 %, for interaction and reflection, respectively. For prediction of TSS in new berries in 2023, the interaction system was superior, with a prediction error of 1.0 % versus 8.1 % for the reflection system, most likely because interaction probes deeper into the berries. The results suggest that interaction measurements of average TSS are more robust and would most likely require less calibration maintenance compared to reflection measurements. The non-contact feature is important since it reduces the spread of diseases and physical damage to the berries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas industrial laboratory systems for Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic characterization have been available for decades, dedicated FTIR solutions for in-line process control or for industrial at-line analysis of protein quality are still scarce. Thus, the present study aimed to compare two industrially viable sampling techniques, namely attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and dry film FTIR spectroscopy, for qualitative and quantitative analysis of liquid protein solutions. For this purpose, two sample sets were acquired: set 1 consisted of 95 protein hydrolysate samples produced in the laboratory from salmon processing by-products, and set 2 consisted of 133 protein hydrolysate samples obtained from an industrial processing plant of poultry by-products. Average molecular weights (AMW) and Brix measurements of protein hydrolysates were used as reference values for obtaining regression models. AMW was predicted with higher accuracy and lower estimation errors using dry film FTIR compared to ATR measurements for both sample types. The difference in predictive performance was higher in poultry hydrolysates because the protein and tissue complexities are higher than in salmon hydrolysates, and information from the amide I region in the FTIR spectra is needed to provide good calibration results. ATR, on the other hand, was more reliable for the prediction of Brix values of protein hydrolysates. The study also showed that FTIR spectroscopy can be used to predict protein quality features of industrially produced protein hydrolysates with a sensitivity of high industrial relevance. Therefore, developing industrially viable portable instruments for at-line process analysis in the food, feed, and biotech industries is a natural next development stage. [Display omitted] • This is the first study to compare ATR and dry film FTIR spectroscopy for quantitative analysis of liquid protein solutions. • Dryfilm FTIR showed higher accuracy for prediction of average molecular weight (AMW) in liquid protein hydrolysates. • FTIR can be used to predict the AMW of industrial protein hydrolysates with a sensitivity of high industrial relevance. • ATR proved to be a more reliable method for the prediction of Brix values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of the current study was to analyze and develop some important automation steps in a superchilling process line. In order to control the product quality there is a need for online measurements of ice fraction and distribution in inhomogeneous products. Moreover, automatic handling of such superchilled products is currently commercially unavailable. The current study presents a new method for monitoring and handling superchilled product of varying form and consistency. Observation of the shift in the water absorption peak, measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) transflection mode, was used to determine the ice level in superchilled salmon, scanning approximately 1.5cm into the fillets. The salmon fillets were stored on ice at 0°C for 5–7days before superchilling at −24°C to target ice contents of 10%, 15% and 30%. Online NIR measurements of ice fraction showed promising results, with a low prediction error of 2.5%. The storage study confirmed former quality results with a microbiological shelf life of 15–17days with only minor differences in values for drip loss and water-holding capacity between superchilled and chilled samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]