Using near infrared spectroscopy for the determination of total solids and protein content in cheese curd

In- line or on- line monitoring requires fast and reliable methods for determining composition or processing variables. A near infrared spectroscopic method for the determination of solids and protein content in cheese curd has been developed. Based on approximately 250 curd samples, calibration models were built using partial least squares regression. The calibration models resulted in coefficients of determination of R-2 = 0.994 for total solids and R2 = 0.985 for protein content for unhomogenized curd, which improved only slightly after subjecting the curd to homogenization. As confirmed by results that were obtained from a validation set, this suggests that near infrared spectroscopy is a potential and powerful method for the rapid monitoring of curd composition. In-line or on-line monitoring requires fast and reliable methods for determining composition or processing variables. A near infrared spectroscopic method for the determination of solids and protein content in cheese curd has been developed. Based on approximately 250 curd samples, calibration models were built using partial least squares regression. The calibration models resulted in coefficients of determination of R-2 = 0.994 for total solids and R-2 = 0.985 for protein content for unhomogenized curd, which improved only slightly after subjecting the curd to homogenization. As confirmed by results that were obtained from a validation set, this suggests that near infrared spectroscopy is a potential and powerful method for the rapid monitoring of curd composition.