Rapid determination of the fatty acid profile in pork dry-cured sausages by NIR spectroscopy

The feasibility of using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to evaluate the generation of relevant and accurate nutritional information through a rapid determination of the fatty acid profiles in Iberian pork dry-cured sausages was analysed. Individual fatty acids contents together with the saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) groups were determined in 86 samples of Iberian dry-cured sausages. NIR calibrations were developed using modified partial least squared regressions. Selected models for the estimation of major constituents (C14:0, C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1 and C18:2) exhibited coefficients of determination for cross-validation which ranged between 0.41 and 0.84 with standard errors of cross-validation (SECV) between 0.07 and 1.51. Calibrations developed for SFA, MUFA and PUFA showed coefficients of determination of 0.86, 0.53 and 0.61, and SECV values of 0.98, 1.47 and 0.88, respectively. The results obtained suggest that in general, NIR spectroscopy could provide an exceptional opportunity for the quality control of dry-cured sausages, since it allows an estimation of the major constituents and/or a classification based on their fatty acid profiles rapidly whilst avoiding the generation of chemical residues. This information could be used to estimate shelf life of products and to include extra nutritional information associated to consumers’ health in their labelling.