Preliminary study using visible and SW-NIR analysis for evaluating the loss of freshness in commercially packaged cooked ham and Turkey ham

A non-destructive Vis-NIR spectroscopy (400-1000 nm) method was developed to evaluate the loss of freshness of sliced and commercially packaged cooked ham and turkey ham without any sample manipulation. The spectra were recorded at 0, 30, 40, and 60 days using a camera, spectral filter (400-1000 nm) and a halogen floodlighting system which had been were developed and calibrated for the purpose. Physico-chemical, biochemical, and microbiological properties such as pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), ATP breakdown compounds, and colony-forming units were determined to predict the degradation of freshness. The image spectra obtained from visible and SW-NIR spectroscopy were related to the storage time of the samples. A PLS-DA model was developed independently for packaged or unpackaged samples using the second derivative of the spectra. Mean R² prediction obtained for cooked ham was 0.915 and 0.949 for Turkey ham. The technique developed could be applied to monitoring the freshness of commercial packed cooked ham and turkey ham as a non-destructive technique. Further studies will be needed to check the spectra obtained from samples of different commercial brands in order to evaluate more precisely the efficiency of the method.