American Dairy Science Association, 2007. Application of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectr.pdf

J. Dairy Sci. 90:3596–3603 doi:10.3168/jds.2007-0063 ? American Dairy Science Association, 2007. Application of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy for Monitoring Short-Chain Free Fatty Acids in Swiss Cheese N. Koca,*? L. E. Rodriguez-Saona,* W. J. Harper,* and V. B. Alvarez*1 *Department of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University, 110 Parker Food Science and Technology Building, 2015 Fyffe Rd., Columbus 43210 ?Department of Food Engineering, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey ABSTRACT Short-chain free fatty acids (FFA) are important sources of cheese flavor and have been reported to be indicators for assessing quality. The objective of this research was to develop a simple and rapid screening tool for monitoring the short-chain FFA contents in Swiss cheese by using Fourier transform infrared spec- troscopy (FTIR). Forty-four Swiss cheese samples were evaluated by using a MIRacle three-reflection diamond attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory. Two dif- ferent sampling techniques were used for FTIR/ATR measurement: direct measurement of Swiss cheese slices (～0.5 g) and measurement of a water-soluble frac- tion of cheese. The amounts of FFA (propionic, acetic, and butyric acids) in the water-soluble fraction of sam- ples were analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ion- ization detection as a reference method. Calibration models for both direct measurement and the water- soluble fraction of cheese were developed based on a cross-validated (leave-one-out approach) partial least squares regression by using the regions of 3,000 to 2,800, 1,775 to 1,680, and 1,500 to 900 cm?1 for short- chain FFA in cheese. Promising performance statistics were obtained for the calibration models of both direct measurement and the water-soluble fraction, with im- proved performance statistics obtained from the water- soluble extract, particularly for propionic acid. Partial least squares models generated from FTIR/ATR spectra by direct measurement of cheese