Rapid Profiling of Swiss Cheese by Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) Infrared Spectroscopy and Descriptive Sensory Analysis

Abstract

The acceptability of cheese depends largely on the flavor formed during ripening. The flavor profiles of cheeses are complex and region- or manufacturer-specific which have made it challenging to understand the chemistry of flavor development and its correlation with sensory properties. Infrared spectroscopy is an attractive technology for the rapid, sensitive, and high-throughput analysis of foods, providing information related to its composition and conformation of food components from the spectra. Our objectives were to establish infrared spectral profiles to discriminate Swiss cheeses produced by different manufacturers in the United States and to develop predictive models for determination of sensory attributes based on infrared spectra. Fifteen samples from 3 Swiss cheese manufacturers were received and analyzed using attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR). The spectra were analyzed using soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) to build a classification model. The cheeses were profiled by a trained sensory panel using descriptive sensory analysis. The relationship between the descriptive sensory scores and ATR-IR spectra was assessed using partial least square regression (PLSR) analysis. SIMCA discriminated the Swiss cheeses based on manufacturer and production region. PLSR analysis generated prediction models with correlation coefficients of validation (rVal) between 0.69 and 0.96 with standard error of cross-validation (SECV) ranging from 0.04 to 0.29. Implementation of rapid infrared analysis by the Swiss cheese industry would help to streamline quality assurance.

NIR Analysis of Cheese—A Fonterra Perspective

“…Apart from compositional measurement, there are numerous other published applications for the use of NIR spectroscopy on cheese. These include descriptive sensory analysis, 8 cheese chemical and colour…”

Monitoring amino acids, organic acids, and ripening changes in Cheddar cheese using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy

“…This method has since been applied to Swiss cheese to study the correlation between FTIR spectra and descriptive sensory analysis (Kocaoglu-Vurma, Eliardi, Drake, Rodriguez-Saona, & Harper, 2009) and the effect of adjunct culture during ripening (Chen, KocaogluVurma, Harper, & Rodriguez-Saona, 2009). The objectives of this research were: 1) to examine the possibility of rapid determination of free amino acids and organic acids by FTIR spectroscopic analysis of Cheddar cheese WSF, and 2) to correlate age of the cheese to FTIR spectra and characterize spectral changes during ripening.…”

Swiss Cheese Flavor Variability Based on Correlations of Volatile Flavor Compounds, Descriptive Sensory Attributes, and Consumer Preference

“…Flavor consistency is a challenging task for the Swiss cheese industry. Flavor, a fundamental basis for sensory assessment, is an important characteristic that determines consumer choice and acceptance [1,2,3]. The biochemical events occurring during cheese ripening involve complex microbiological and physicochemical changes to the curd that give the characteristic flavor and aroma of a particular cheese variety [4,5,6].…”