At-line prediction of fatty acid profile in chicken breast using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy

Near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy was evaluated as at-line technique to predict FA profile of chicken breast directly at the slaughterhouse. Intact breasts of 214 chickens were scanned by applying a fiber optic probe to the Pectoralis superficialis muscle. Meat samples were analyzed by gas chromatography as the reference method for the determination of FA composition. Calibration equations were developed considering NIR wavelengths between 1100 and 1830 nm, and modified partial least square (MPLS) was chosen as the chemometrics method to perform the calibrations. Different mathematical pre-treatments were tested and the best calibration equation for each FA was retained. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy did not result in satisfactory predictions of FA. The best predictions were observed for oleic acid (C18:1n-9), monounsaturated FA (MUFA), and polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), and for a few minor FA. Results suggest that for chicken breast muscle, a lean meat, it was not possible to predict FA using NIR spectroscopy as an at-line technique in the abattoir.