Prediction of sensory quality of cheese during ripening from chemical and spectroscopy measurements

Norvegia cheese samples (459 in total) were analysed during maturation using a broad range of analytical methods. From eight to 24 and 40 weeks there was a highly systematic development in chemical and sensory attributes. Chemical data and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) measurements gave almost equivalent validation results in prediction of sensory data. Fluorescence spectroscopy and near infra-red spectroscopy, both carried out on the surface of cheese, gave slightly less valid results than FTIR. Using a combination of spectra from all instruments gave higher correlations than spectra from instruments taken one by one. Replacement of sensory measurements would hardly be possible, but chemical analysis can be replaced by spectroscopy to a large extent. Sensory characteristics at a greater age (40 weeks) were not very well forecasted from early measurements on cheese (eight weeks), which could have been useful for prediction of quality development during cheese maturation.